Furman 2, Chattanooga 1
Furman 4, Chattanooga 2
Greenville, S.C. -- Furman picked up a pair of victories versus league rival Chattanooga 2-1, 4-2 on Thursday to clinch the best-of-three series and take sole possession of first place in the Southern Conference softball standings entering Friday's regular season finale.
The Paladins (31-20, 11-5 SoCon) and Mocs (13-36, 3-14 SoCon) are set for a 1 p.m. first pitch on Friday at Pepsi Stadium. A win would give the Paladins at least a share of their first SoCon regular season title since 1995, while a loss would leave the door open for UNCG or ETSU to grab the title with a sweep when the two meet in Greensboro, N.C., on Saturday and Sunday.
Furman 2, Chattanooga 1
Freshman Casey Bigham delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth to erase a 1-0 deficit and junior Lindsey Bert fanned 11 batters to improve to 18-10 in the circle as Furman claimed a 2-1 victory in Thursday's series opener.
Chattanooga jumped in front on Aly Walker's solo shot to the opposite field with two outs in the top of the first inning and the Mocs' Celie Hudson held the Paladins off of the board until the bottom of the fifth. Brittany Houston and Caroline Cash drew walks to start the Furman rally and Courtney Jacobs loaded the bases with a bunt single. Bigham followed with a base hit through the left side that scored pinch runner Hannah Seaver and Cash to give Furman a 2-1 lead.
Bert, who allowed just one run on two hits over seven innings, fanned five of the final six batters she faced and worked around a seventh-inning error to record the complete game. The left-hander walked just one batter, while she struck out 11.
Hudson (4-9) gave up two runs on three hits over six innings to take the loss for Chattanooga. She walked six and struck out six.
Furman 4, Chattanooga 2
In the nightcap, Furman jumped out to a 4-0 lead and held on in the seventh to capture its 15th win in its last 19 outings.
Kalie Hicks' double to the base of the center field fence put Furman ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning and Tess Griswold doubled the margin with a sacrifice fly to left field. In the third, Cash and Jacobs each singled and stole second to open the frame before Bigham grounded a single up the middle to plate Cash and give the Paladins a 3-0 lead.
Furman added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Sarah Windham worked a walk, moved to second base on a passed ball and scored on Cash's RBI single.
Chattanooga rallied in the seventh against Paladin starter Emily Demonte. Katy Richardson opened the frame with a single and Jesslyn Stockard followed with a two-run blast to right-center to cut the lead to 4-2. Demonte retired the next batter, but a single and Paladin error put the tying run on base and sent Furman to the bullpen.
Bert got pinch hitter Ashley Conner to fly out to right field and fanned Hayleigh Weissenbach to strand two runners and record her first save of the season. Demonte earned the win after allowing just two runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings. She struck out four without allowing a walk.
Cash and Bert each collected two hits and scored a run for the Paladins, while Hicks finished with a double and a base on balls.
Starter Alex Connell (1-11) suffered the loss for Chattanooga after surrendering two runs on three hits in two innings. Maddy Adams allowed two runs on five hits in four innings of relief.
Friday will be Senior Day at Pepsi Stadium and the Furman softball program will honor seniors Andrea Abbatiello, Kalie Hicks, Courtney Jacobs and Elise Smith prior to the game. Fans can watch the live stream of Friday's series finale on YouTube and can follow live statistics by logging onto FurmanPaladins.com.
Thursday's game one win also marked the 150th victory for Furman head coach Kyle Jamieson in his five years at Furman.
Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information
