Box Score GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Mason Kenney worked five strong innings and Furman used a three-run seventh to beat La Salle, 6-5, and clinch the season opening series Sunday afternoon at Latham Stadium.

Kenney (1-0), a sophomore right-hander, yielded one unearned run, walked one, and recorded six strikeouts before departing after five innings with a 3-1 lead.

La Salle took advantage of a walk and hit batsman by Paladin freshman reliever Patrick Libby to make it a 3-2 game in th seventh, but Rob Hughes, who took over for Libby, checked the Explorers' by striking out Ryan Guckin to end the threat with runners at second and third.

Aided by a pair of leadoff walks, the Paladins answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame.  An RBI single by MJ Sasapan drove home Dax Roper for a 4-2 lead.  After Sterling Turmon drew the third walk of the inning to load the bases, Aidan Healy plated the second run on a sacrifice fly and Sasapan raced home with the final run on a Banks Griffith's groundout that made it 6-2.

La Salle answered with its own three-spot in the top of the eighth against Hughes, combining a walk, three hits, and a Paladin error to cut Furman's advantage to 6-5.

The ninth was a different story for Hughes, who bounced back to retire the Explorers in order to notch the save.

Furman managed only four hits in the game, including two by Sasapan (2-for-3, RBI, run), a junior making his first start in left field.

Griffith drove in three of the Paladins' six runs, highlighted by a two-run single in the Paladins' three-run third.

The loss was charged to Manny Corporan (0-1), who allowed three runs on just three hits over six innings.  He walked one and fanned seven.

Furman plays at USC Upstate on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.