Greenville, S.C. – Furman rallied from a 3-1 deficit to claim a 5-3 game two victory and earn a split of Saturday's Southern Conference softball doubleheader at Samford. The Bulldogs claimed an 11-6 win in game one.
The Paladins (10-17, 3-2 SoCon) and Bulldogs (13-19, 3-5 SoCon) will play the rubber game of their weekend series on Sunday at Samford Softball Stadium. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Game 1: Samford 11, Furman 6
Timberlyn Shurbutt went 3-for-4 with a double, homer and three RBI to lead Samford to an 11-6 victory in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader.
Ansley Yantis and Mehki Mayfield homered in the bottom of the second to stake the Bulldogs to a 3-1 lead. Merritt Cahoon delivered a two-run double and Grace Robertson added a two-run single to highlight a four-run fourth inning to extend the margin to 7-2.
Trailing 8-2 after four innings, Furman mounted a comeback in the top of the fifth when
Mackense Greico belted a two-run homer to right field and
Natalie Morgan hammered a solo shot to left-center to trim the Samford lead to 8-5. The Bulldogs, however, put the game away in the bottom of the frame when Robertson opened the inning with a double, Yantis walked and Shurbutt laced a three-run homer to up the lead to 11-5.
Emily Barnett (7-6) tossed a complete game to earn the victory for the Bulldogs. She allowed six runs on eight hits while striking out four Paladins. Cahoon, Robertson and Whitney Hinton each joined Shurbutt with two hits apiece to lead Samford's 13-hit attack.
Starter
Shelby Basso took the loss for Furman after surrendering six runs on five hits in just two innings in the circle. Greico went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Morgan went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs.
Kaitlyn Laudick also added a homer for the Paladins.
Game 2: Furman 5, Samford 3
Freshman
Claire Ginder delivered a two-run, go-ahead double in the top of the seventh and
Sierra Tufts tossed a complete game to earn the win at Furman topped Samford, 5-3, in the nightcap of Saturday's twinbill.
The Bulldogs plated single runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings to build a 3-1 lead before Furman rallied with a pair of runs in each of its last two at bats. In the top of the sixth, Morgan and Greico reached on infield singles and Ludlam knotted the game with a 2-out, 2-run double to left-centerfield. The two-run double followed a solo home run for Ludlam in the fourth inning.
With the game tied at 3-3 in the top of the seventh,
Amanda Fleming reached on an error and stole two bases, while
Chloe Fabio drew a base on balls to set the table for the Paladins. Ginder put the Paladins in front with a double into the right-centerfield gap to score both runners.
Tufts (5-7) worked around a pair of singles in the bottom of the seventh to seal the victory and pick up her second win of the week. She allowed three runs on 10 hits over seven innings in the circle.
Ludlam went 2-for-3 with a pair of extra base hits and three RBI, while Ginder drove in two runs for the Paladins.
Taylor Decelles (1-7) took the loss for Samford after allowing five runs on seven hits over seven innings. She fanned 11 batters in the loss.
