Greenville, S.C. – Furman softball posted a pair of three-run innings in game two of Saturday's doubleheader to earn a 3-6, 6-1 split versus the Wofford Terriers and clinch the first ever best-of-three Southern Conference series between the schools.
 
With the series victory, Furman improved to 21-26 overall and 6-9 in league play. The Terriers slipped to 17-20 overall and 7-8 in the SoCon.
 
Game 1: Wofford 6, Furman 3 (12 inn.)
 
Wofford outlasted the Paladins, 6-3, in a 12-inning marathon in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Pepsi Stadium on the strength of a four-run top of the 12^th.
 
With the contest knotted at 2-2 in the bottom of the 11^th inning, Furman had a chance for the walk-off win. Hannah Poole delivered a sacrifice bunt to move Ansley Chiang to third base after the freshman was placed on second in accordance with the international tiebreaker rule. A bouncer back to the pitcher and a grounder to second base, however, ended the threat and sent the game into the 12^th inning.
 
A pair of passed balls helped Gracie Parker score from second before Wofford's Abby Gossett, Bergan Needles, and Hannah Maddox knocked in runs to up the margin to 6-2. Furman's Caitlin Goldwait, who match her own school single-game record with five hits in the first half of the doubleheader, singled in the bottom of the 12^th to drive in a run, but Wofford's Margaret Axelson escaped the frame without further damage to pick up the complete-game victory.
 
Axelson (6-5) held Furman to one earned run on 11 hits over 12 innings. She struck out three batters and did not allow a walk.
 
Paladin reliever Emme Buzhardt (2-5) suffered the loss surrendering five runs on six hits over six innings. Just one of the five runs allowed was earned and the junior notched five strikeouts.
 
The contest was tied at 1-1 after seven innings and both teams went scoreless in the first two extra frames. Wofford scored in the top of the 10^th inning when a sacrifice bunt moved the tiebreaking runner over to third base and she scored on a mishandled grounder back to the pitcher. Furman answered to stay alive in the bottom of the 10^th as Goldwait and Sylvia Burroughs reached on two-out singles and the tying run scored after Kiley Perry's potential game-ending grounder squirted through the legs of the Terrier shortstop.
 
Goldwait went 5-for-6 with two runs and an RBI for the Paladins while Ashlee Lykins collected two hits. Eight different players registered a hit for the Terriers, who finished the opening game of the twinbill with 11 safeties.
 
Game 2: Furman 6, Wofford 1
 
Furman used the big inning to take a 6-1 victory in the series finale and capture the best-of-three series from the Terriers.
 
The Paladins plated three runs on five hits in both the first and sixth innings, and righthander Sierra Tufts tossed her second complete-game gem of the weekend in the circle.
 
In the bottom of the first inning, Goldwait drew a one-out walk and the Paladins followed with five consecutive singles to build a 3-0 advantage. Sylvia Burroughs, Perry, Hannah Poole, Ainsley Yoshizumi, and Ansley Chiang notched singles to help stake the Paladins to the early lead.
 
Tufts, who improved to 10-8 in the circle, held Wofford to just a run on three hits over seven innings after tossing a one-hit shutout only 24 hours earlier. The senior issued three walks and fanned four batters in the victory.
 
Furman, leading 3-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, put the game out of reach with its second three-spot of the day. Yoshizumi laced a leadoff double into the left-center field gap and scored on Chiang's double off the leftfielder's glove. After a sacrifice fly by Alex Rose Molinar scored Chiang, Lykins and Goldwait both legged out infield singles ahead of Burroughs' RBI base hit to left.
 
Burroughs, Perry, Yoshizumi, and Chiang each recorded two hits apiece for the Paladins in the series finale while Goldwait added a hit and a base on balls to finish her weekend with seven hits in the three-game series.
 
Abby Greenwood (6-13) absorbed her second loss of the weekend for the Terriers. She gave up six runs on 11 hits in 5.2 innings. Maddox led Wofford at the plate in game two by collecting two hits. 
 
Furman is back in action next weekend when it travels to Chattanooga, Tenn., for a three-game series against the Chattanooga Mocs. First pitch of Saturday's doubleheader at Frost Stadium is set for 1 p.m. The series finale is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday.