Game 1 Boxscore: Furman 8, Fairfield 3
Game 2 Boxscore: Fairfield 3, Furman 0
Greenville, S.C. -- Candace Johnson went 4-for-7 with two doubles and a homer to help Furman to a doubleheader split with Fairfield 8-3, 0-3 on Sunday in the Upstate Classic at Pepsi Stadium.
The split propelled the Paladins, 5-4 winners on Saturday afternoon, to a series victory over the Stags and improved Furman to 6-3 on the season. Fairfield moved to 1-4.
Johnson went 3-for-4 with a double, homer and three runs as the Paladins downed the Stags, 8-3, in game one. She started a four-run rally in the first inning with a one-out double. After Lindsey Bert and Emily Demonte each worked a base on balls, Hannah Reynolds drew a bases loaded walk to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead. AnnaRose Borrelli upped the lead to 3-0 with a two-run single down the left field line and Brittany Houston followed an Emma Ogburn safety with a base hit to up the lead to 4-0.
Furman increased the advantage to 5-0 when Johnson opened the bottom of the second with a towering solo blast to right field for her first long ball of the season. In the fourth, Amanda Fleming reached on a leadoff single and scored on Demonte's double into the gap. Reynolds followed with a single to left field to plate Demonte and up the lead to 7-0. Furman loaded the bases again with nobody out, but were unable to add to the lead.
After Fairfield plated three runs in the top of the fifth with the help of an error and three walks, Demonte helped herself again with an RBI to push the advantage to 8-3.
Demonte surrendered three unearned runs on five hits over seven innings to improve to 4-0 in the circle. The Sumter, S.C., native fanned three batters and walk three en route to her second win of the weekend. She went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and two RBI.
Karisa Hughen (0-2) suffered the loss for Fairfield allowing five runs on five hits in three and 2/3 innings. Alisha Marshall notched two hits and an RBI for the Stags.
Ogburn added two hits for the Paladins.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Destinee Pallotto (1-2) tossed a three-hit shutout to power Fairfield to a 3-0 win over the Paladins. She fanned three batters and walked two to give the Stags their first win of the campaign.
The game was scoreless until the top of the sixth inning. Makenna DiGuilio opened the frame on a bloop double to right field. Bert got the next batter to pop up a bunt attempt and fanned pinch hitter Sam Merino for the second out of the inning. Amanda Ulzheimer kept the inning alive with a single to center and Courtney Hankins followed with a three-run blast to center to account for the only runs of the game.
Bert (2-2) took the loss despite allowing just three runs on four hits and fanning eight without walking a batter of seven innings.
Furman returns to action at 2 p.m. on Wednesday when it travels to Clinton, S.C., for a doubleheader versus the Presbyterian Blue Hose.
