Greenville, S.C. – Furman rebounded from a heartbreaking 12-10 extra-inning loss in game one to capture an 11-4 game two victory and earn a doubleheader split with Gardner-Webb on Tuesday at Brinkley Stadium in Boiling Springs, N.C.
Game 1: Gardner-Webb 12, Furman 10 (8 inn.)
In the opening game of the twinbill, Gardner-Webb avoided the mercy rule and rallied from a 9-0 deficit to stun Furman in extra innings.
Riley Ludlam clubbed a solo homer in the first inning and freshman
Sylvia Burroughs launched two-run blasts in each of her first two at bats to help the Paladins build their 9-0 lead through four innings. Up 9-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Gardner-Webb took advantage of three Paladin errors to plate two runs and keep the game alive.
Furman carried a 9-2 advantage into the bottom of the seventh inning when Gardner-Webb opened the frame with four consecutive singles to trim the margin to 9-3. Following a force out at the plate, Andrea Lyon hammered a grand slam to cut the Paladin lead to 9-7. Starter
Lauralee Scott reentered the game in place of
Kiley Perry and retired the next batter, but the Runnin' Bulldogs followed a base on balls with an RBI triple into the left field corner from Meredith Wayland and an RBI single from Annicka McLaughlin to knot the contest at 9-9 and force extra innings.
The Paladins'
Ashlee Lykins delivered a two-out, RBI base hit in the top of the eighth to restore Furman's lead, but Adrienne Visintine cracked a walk-off, three-run homer in the bottom of the inning to give GWU the victory.
Alli Stidham picked up the win for Gardner-Webb after working one inning of relief. Scott (1-2), who allowed five runs on five hits over 3.2 innings suffered the loss.
Lyon, McLaughlin and Kasey Fava all collected three hits for GWU in game one while Visintine and Lyon each batted in four runs. Burroughs finished 2-for-2 with two homers, two walks, and four RBIs to pace the Paladins in the loss.
Game 2: Furman 11, Gardner-Webb 4
Furman rallied in impressive action in game two as junior
Sierra Tufts worked around a three-run inning and the Paladin offense cranked out 11 more hits to win the nightcap, 11-4.
Tied at 4-4 after three innings, Furman erupted for three runs in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth to blow the game open. With two outs and nobody on base in the fourth, a
Caitlin Goldwait single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases. After Gardner-Webb dropped a foul popup that would have ended the frame, Ludlam laced a three-run double into the right-centerfield gap to give Furman a 7-4 lead.
In the fifth inning,
Hana Hashioka led off with a bloop double, went to third base on
Alex Rose Molinar's base hit and later stole home.
Chloe Fabio followed with an inside-the-park homer that skipped past the rightfielder to extend the margin to 10-4.
Ainsley Yoshizumi capped the rally with an RBI single a few batters later for the final scoreline.
Tufts (3-2), who picked up the victory in the circle, kept Gardner-Webb off the scoreboard over the final three innings. She allowed two earned runs on five hits over seven innings while issuing five walks and fanning nine batters.
Ludlam finished 2-for-4 with a double and five RBIs to lead the offense while Yoshizumi and Goldwait each collected a pair of hits. Lykins reached base safely three times and tallied three runs in the nightcap.
Reliever Kalyn Kyle took the loss for the Runnin' Bulldogs. She was charged with three unearned runs on three hits in an inning of work. Lyon homered and drove in two to key the Gardner-Webb offense.
Furman (4-5) returns to action this weekend at the South Alabama Invitational in Mobile, Ala. Check FurmanPaladins.com for updated game times, live statistics and live streaming links.
