GREENVILLE, S.C. -- East Tennessee scored three ninth inning runs, including two on a fielding error, to overtake Furman en route to a 7-5 victory in Southern Conference Baseball Tournament action Friday evening at Fluor Field.

The loss ends the season for Furman (26-31) while East Tennessee State (34-20) advances to play Mercer in a Saturday elimination game.

Furman led 5-1 after six innings before leaky defense in the form of two errors, combined with three walks and a balk that plated a run, aided ETSU's comeback.

The Paladins' late inning fade spoiled a superb starting pitching effort by freshman right-hander Mason Kenney, who pitched no-hit ball through five innings and ended up allowing three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits in 6 1/3 innings.  He walked one and struck out five.

ETSU began its comeback in earnest in the seventh after Paladin second baseman Banks Griffith misplayed a soft ground ball on a pivot attempt to force the Buccaneers' Jake Lyle at second base. Ethan Shelton followed with a one-out RBI double to score Lyle, and Colby Emmertz, who reached on the error, came home on a balk by Paladin reliever Jordan Beatson to slice Furman's lead to 5-3.

The Bucs made it 5-4 in the eighth after Cullen Smith battled back from an no-ball, two-strike count to draw a leadoff walk and later scored on a Beatson wild pitch.

In the ninth the Bucs used a pair of hits to put runners on first and third with one out, and Paladin reliever Rob Hughes hit ETSU's Markell Graham with a pitch to load the bases.  Smith followed with a ground ball to Paladin first baseman Jared Mihalik, who let the ball go under his glove into right field, allowing two runs to score.  The Bucs plated their third run of the frame to go up 7-5 when Logan Taplett fielded a sharp ground ball, stepped on third for a force play, but his throw to first base to complete the double play pulled Mihalik off the bag.

The Paladins threatened in the ninth with singles by Griffith and Webel, but Jordan Starkes grounded out to end the game.

Trent Alley gave Furman a 1-0 lead in the first with his fourth double of the tournament that drove home Webel.  Alley made it 2-0 when Dax Roper drove him home with a single into the left field corner.

Taplett's sacrifice fly in the third pushed the lead to 3-0, and Furman went up 5-1 in the sixth on Mihalik's flare, two-run double down the left field line.

Both teams finished with seven hits.  Three of ETSU's seven runs were unearned.

Nathaniel Tate (4-0) was the beneficiary of ETSU's three-run ninth, collecting the victory after pitching 2 2/3 innings of two-hit, shutout ball.

Matthew Mercer notched the save after getting the final two outs.

The loss went to Hughes (5-2), who surrendered three runs, only one of which was earned, in just 1/3 inning.