Greenville, S.C. – Furman softball looks to return to the win column this weekend when the Paladins welcome the Samford Bulldogs to Pepsi Stadium for a three-game Southern Conference series on Saturday and Sunday.
The series is set to begin with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and conclude with a single game at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Saturday is Bark in the Park Day and all fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the ballpark. Admission is free to all games at Pepsi Stadium.
Furman, 18-21 overall and 3-6 in league play, is returning home following a nine-game road. The Paladins capped the road swing this past weekend by dropping all three games of a SoCon series versus Mercer at Sikes Field in Macon, Ga. The Bears claimed 3-1 and 6-1 victories last Saturday before rallying from a 4-0 deficit to edge Furman, 5-4, in nine innings on Sunday.
The Paladins, who are 10-5 at home this season, have been led offensively by centerfielder
Ashlee Lykins. The senior, who has reached base safely in 35 of the last 36 games, is hitting .368 with three triples and has scored 26 runs while swiping 14 bases. The trio of
Emme Buzhardt (1-3, 2.95 ERA),
Lauralee Scott (7-4, 3.28), and
Sierra Tufts (8-6, 3.39 ERA) have led the Paladin pitching staff this season.
Samford is 12-25 overall and 5-4 in SoCon play entering this weekend. The Bulldogs swept a three-game series from preseason league favorite UNC Greensboro last weekend in Birmingham, Ala., and have won five of their last six league games.
Furman enters the weekend holding a 37-31 lead in the all-time series versus Samford, but the Bulldogs have won each of the last four regular season series between the schools and 10 of the last 14 meetings overall.
All three games this weekend will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live statistics available through StatBroadcast. Links for the live stream and live stats can be found at FurmanPaladins.com.
