Conway, S.C. – Furman claimed a 5-3 victory over Bowling Green and dropped an 8-2 decision to Coastal Carolina on the final day of the Battle at the Beach Sunday afternoon at St. John Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Furman 5, Bowling Green 3
Senior
Sierra Tufts tossed a complete game and allowed just one earned run to help Furman claim a 5-3 victory over Bowling Green in the Paladins' first game of the day.
Tufts, a native of Chula Vista, Calif., scattered six hits and struck out a season-high six batters to improve to 5-1 in the circle. With the Paladins leading 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Tufts retired the first two batters before three consecutive errors by the Furman infield loaded the bases with two outs. The righthander got Peyton Dolejs swinging to end the game.
Furman broke open a 2-2 tie with two runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Chloe Fabio worked a walk before the Paladins loaded the bases on singles from
Ainsley Yoshizumi and
Ashlee Lykins.
Sylvia Burroughs followed with a two-run single to centerfield to put Furman in front.
After Bowling Green (1-3) trimmed the margin to 4-3 on Katie Hutter's pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, Furman added an insurance run in the seventh. Yoshizumi walked and moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Lykins and single from Burroughs. The senior raced home on
Kiley Perry's sacrifice fly to right field to up the lead to 5-3.
Burroughs went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and a walk. She and Perry both tallied two RBIs. Yoshizumi finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and scored three of Furman's five runs.
Bowling Green's Scarlet Anderson (0-1) was charged with the loss. She allowed two runs on two hits and three walks over 4.1 innings in the circle. Reagan Williamson led the Falcons at the plate going 2-for-3 with a base on balls.
Coastal Carolina 8, Furman 2
Indya Smith and Iyanla De Jesus combined to go 5-for-7 with two homers and six runs batted in to propel Coastal Carolina to an 8-2 victory over Furman in the final game of the Battle at the Beach on Sunday afternoon.
The first four batters of the game reached base safely and the Chanticleers plated three first-inning runs against Paladin starter
Angelina Ricciardi. Delaney Keith reached on a one-out walk and Riley Zana followed with a single in the second inning before Smith launched a three-run blast to center field.
Freshman
Christina McCoy got Furman on the board in the top half of the fourth. After
Hannah Poole lined a single off the glove of the third baseman to open the inning, McCoy belted her first collegiate homer, a two-run shot to left-center, to cut the deficit to 6-2.
Coastal Carolina (7-5) answered in the bottom of the frame with a two-run blast from De Jesus to restore the six-run lead for the Chanticleers.
Smith finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs while De Jesus went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in. Keith and Zana set the table at the top of the order by reaching base a combined four times and scoring four runs.
Raelee Brabham (5-2) earned the victory after giving up just two runs on eight hits in six innings of work. She issued two walks and fanned six Paladins.
Ricciardi (0-1) took the loss for Furman allowing six runs on five hits and three bases on balls in just 1.2 innings.
Lauralee Scott allowed two runs over 4.1 innings of relief while striking out four Chanticleers.
Poole went 2-for-3 for the Paladins and Fabio added a double and a walk.
Furman (9-5) returns home to host South Dakota and Akron in the Paladin Classic March 1-3 at Pepsi Stadium. Admission is free to all Furman home games.
