GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Cameron Whitehead drove in four runs to power Furman to an 11-4 victory in game one of a Southern Conference doubleheader, and Matthew Quarles delivered eight strong innings in a 6-3 game two victory to complete the twinbill sweep of East Tennessee State in Saturday baseball action at Latham Stadium.
The triumphs earned Furman (18-20, 7-8 SoCon) its second straight league series sweep and extended the Paladins' winning streak to seven games.
In game one ETSU (19-17, 2-9 SoCon) grabbed a 2-0 first inning lead, which Furman responded with 11 unanswered runs, fueled by Whitehead's 3-for-5, four-RBI performance and by Sims Griffith, who followed up his walk-off RBI single in Friday's 9-8, 10-inning victory by going 4-for-5 with an RBI and scoring three runs.
The Paladins turned a 2-0 deficit into to a 5-2 lead in the third, scoring all five runs with four consecutive two-out hits, the big blow coming on a Whitehead two-run single to center field.
Whitehead struck again in the fifth after Brandon Elmy drew a two-out walk and Griffith doubled to put runners at second at third, stroking a two-run single up the middle to make it 7-2 and chase Buccaneer starter Blake Smith.
The Paladins came back with two more in the sixth and seventh to extend the advantage to 11-2.
The strong run support made a winner of Will Gaddis (4-3), the reigning Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year who allowed the two first inning runs but none to Buccaneers over the next six innings. The junior right-hander surrendered eight hits, struck out four, and did not walk a batter.
Elmy followed Whitehead and Griffith in the hitting department, going 2-for-3 with and RBI and two runs. Jabari Richards and Carter Grote also scored twice.
In Saturday's second game the Paladins used solid pitching from Quarles and the long ball, getting solo home runs from Griffith, Grote, and Brett Huebner, to overcome a 3-2 deficit en route to the win.
Quarles, the reigning SoCon Pitcher of the Week coming off a complete game, 5-2 victory at Western Carolina last Saturday, gave up a solo home run to ETSU's Chris Cook on the first pitch of the game but managed to contain the Buccaneers in effective fashion over the next seven-plus frames. He allowed a run in the second and fourth before his teammates rallied offensively to take the lead by scoring in four consecutive innings.
Griffith belted a one-out home run to left field, his second of the season, to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth. Whitehead and Huebner followed with singles, and Jake Crawford's high bouncer to third base was enough to get Whitehead home to put Furman ahead for good, 4-3.
The Paladins extended their advantage in the seventh with a Grote high arching home run to left field, and Huebner capped the scoring in the eighth with the first roundtripper of his Paladin career, a two-out blast that also landed on the hill beyond the left field fence to make it 6-3.
Billy Greenfield worked a perfect ninth to put the game in the win column for the Paladins and notch his second save.
Quarles (5-2) earned the win, allowing three runs on six hits over eight innings. He walked just one, struck out eight, and retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced, yielding only a two-out walk in the sixth during that stretch.
The loss was charged to Griffin Krieg (1-3), who came on the fifth. He gave up the two runs in the sixth that put the Paladins ahead.
Furman doubled up the Buccaneers 12-6 in hits in Saturday's second game, with Heubner going 3-for-3 with the home run and two runs scored.
Grote and Griffith both posted 2-for-4 worksheets at the plate in game two.
Hunter Reid, Furman Sports Information
