COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Trent Alley's two-run single in the ninth inning broke open a tie game and helped lift Furman to a 7-4 victory over South Carolina in baseball action Wednesday evening at Founders Park.

The win, the second straight for Furman (21-27) over South Carolina (24-24) in Columbia, was the Paladins' third consecutive triumph and ninth in the last 13 games for head coach Bret Harker's club.

With the score tied 4-4 and the bases loaded with one out in the top of the ninth, Alley sent a no-ball, one-strike pitch from South Carolina's Dylan Harley back through the middle to drive home Mason Kenney and Bret Huebner to give Furman a 6-4 lead.  With two outs Logan Taplett bounced a single thru the left side of the infield to score Jabari Richards and make it 7-4.

In the bottom of the ninth Paladin reliever Rob Hughes walked the first two batters he faced but rallied to retire the next three batters, getting Noah Campbell on a fielder's choice ground ball for the final out at second base.

Alley, who earned the victory over South Carolina as the starting pitcher in last year's 6-4 triumph in Columbia, drove in three of Furman's seven runs, including a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Jabari Richards put Furman up 2-1 in the third with a two-run home run over the right center field wall, his eighth route job of the season and 30th of his career.

After South Carolina tied it with a run in the bottom of the second, Alley's sacrifice made it 3-2, and David Webel followed by scoring on a wild pitch to stretch the lead to 4-2.

The Gamecocks pulled to within 4-3 on TJ Hopkins' solo home run in the sixth and tied it in the eighth on an Andrew Eyster RBI single that plated Hopkins.

Eric Taylor (1-1) surrendered the game tying run in the eighth but got the benefit of the three-run ninth to collect the victory.

Hughes earned the save, his second of the season.

Bret Huebner went 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 12 games and improve to .400 (18x45) over the last 13 games.

Mason Kenney, who was credited the victory as the Paladins' starting pitcher in Sunday's 13-5 win over VMI, scored a pair of runs in making a rare start at third base.

Furman played without the services of starting catcher Dax Roper, the reigning SoCon Player of the Week who was scratched due to illness.

Harley (2-4) was charged with the loss after yielding all three runs in the decisive ninth.

The Paladins open a three-game Southern Conferene series at Wofford on Friday.

Hunter Reid, Athletic Communications