Greenville, S.C. – The Furman softball team won its third game in a row on Wednesday after sweeping a doubleheader against the College of Charleston Cougars by scores of 4-0 and 5-4 in non-conference play at Pepsi Stadium.
Furman improves to 12-17 on the season while College of Charleston drops to 6-23 overall.
The Paladins blanked the Cougars 4-0 in game one and rallied back for a 5-4 walk-off victory during game two.
Game 1 – College of Charleston 0, Furman 4
Lauralee Scott tossed a complete game shutout and
Emily Bartlett drove in two runs to lead Furman to a 4-0 victory to begin the doubleheader.
Scott (3-6) threw the first complete game shutout of her career after limiting College of Charleston to only four hits while allowing one walk and registering two strikeouts. Katie Freeman (0-1) took the loss after giving up four runs on five hits, four walks and no strikeouts over six innings of work.
Bartlett plated both of her runs during the Paladins' three-run third inning to take a 3-0 lead. Her two RBI single, which scored
Chloe Fabio and
Chrissy Fleming, got the scoring started and
Riley Ludlam followed the next at-bat with an RBI sacrifice fly to center field that drove in
Ashlee Lykins.
Fabio's RBI sacrifice fly to right field extended Furman's lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth.
Marina Griffin, who led off the inning with a walk, scored from third after advancing on a sacrifice bunt from
Alexis Larrow.
Bartlett went 1-for-3 with two RBI and Fabio added a 1-for-1 performance with one RBI and one run scored. Lykins led all players with two hits and scored once.
Noel Dominguez, Payton Wade, Jenna Helberg and Mia Dittoe all had one hit apiece for the Cougars.
Game 2 – College of Charleston 4, Furman 5
Ludlam's RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh propelled the Paladins, who trailed by three heading into the sixth inning, to a 5-4 win in game two.
For the second time in three games,
Emme Buzhardt (2-0) picked up the win in relief pitching two scoreless innings and gave up two hits while striking out one. Drayton Siegling (1-5) took the loss surrendering five runs (four earned) on six hits, three walks and five strikeouts.
College of Charleston struck for two runs in the top of the first to go ahead 2-0 early on an RBI groundout by Carsten Puckett and Helberg's RBI sacrifice fly to right field.
Fabio cut Furman's deficit down to 2-1 in the bottom of the third with her RBI fielder's choice but the Cougars answered with two runs in the fourth to increase their lead to 4-1 when Malaka Belser homered to right field.
The Paladins came back to tie the game at 4-4 following a three-run bottom of the sixth inning.
Natalie Morgan's two RBI double down the left field line made it a 4-3 contest and
Alex Rose Molinar evened the score the following at-bat with her RBI sacrifice fly to center field.
Fabio led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and moved to second when Larrow drew a four-pitch walk. Ludlam delivered the game-winning single on a 2-0 pitch to right field and brought home Fabio.
Six different Furman players recorded one hit while Morgan had a team high two RBI. Ludlam and Fabio both provided one RBI.
Dominguez went 3-for-3 to lead College of Charleston offensively and Belser had a team high two RBI.
Up Next
The Paladins are off until next Wednesday, April 6 when they travel to Clemson for a doubleheader against the Tigers beginning at 4 p.m.
