Athens, Ga. – Furman rallied for two runs in the seventh inning but came up short in a 3-2 defeat versus Jacksonville State in its first game of the weekend on Friday in the 2024 Bulldog Classic at the University of Georgia's Turner Softball Stadium.
Jacksonville State's Sarah Currie limited the Paladins to just one hit over the first six innings and the Gamecocks carried a 3-0 advantage into the seventh before Furman mounted a comeback.
Ashlee Lykins, who extended her streak of consecutive games reaching base to 17, led off the frame with a bunt single. After Currie retired
Sylvia Burroughs and
Kiley Perry, freshman
Ansley Chiang lined a double into the gap to score Lykins from first base. Chiang raced home to trim the margin to 3-2 when
Hannah Poole kept the game alive by reaching base on a throwing error, but Currie bounced back to fan
Hana Hashioka for the final out.
Currie (2-2) held Furman to one earned run on three hits over seven innings. She struck out six Paladins and allowed just one walk to earn the win.
The Gamecocks (9-13), who downed Miami (Ohio) in Friday's first game, got on the board first with an unearned run in the bottom of the second. The scoreline stayed the same until the bottom of the sixth when Ashley Phillips opened the inning with a single and advanced to third thanks to a stolen base and passed ball. She scored on Hannah Buffington's sacrifice fly to double the lead. Following another passed ball, Amber Reed, who had reached base on a fielder's choice, crossed the plate on Caroline Lively's two-out single to left field.
Phillips went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and a walk to lead the Jacksonville State offense while Buffington knocked in two runs.
Starter
Sierra Tufts (5-3) suffered the loss for Furman. The senior allowed two earned runs on four hits over 5.2 innings of work.
Furman (10-10) is slated to play two games on Saturday, weather permitting. The Paladins are scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. rematch with the Gamecocks prior to a 6 p.m. first pitch against the Miami RedHawks.
