Greenville, S.C. – Furman softball rallied in both ends of a doubleheader to claim an 11-3, 6-5 sweep of East Tennessee State on Senior Day Friday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
 
Game 1 (6 Inn.): Furman 11, ETSU 3
 
The Paladins erupted for three runs in the fifth inning and seven in the bottom of the sixth to take an 11-3 victory in six innings in game one. 
 
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Furman senior Ashlee Lykins led off the frame with a single to center field. Caitlin Goldwait singed to move Lykins to third base and swiped second to put two runners in scoring position. With one out, Sylvia Burroughs lined a two-run double into the left-center field gap to plate both runners and give the Paladins a 3-2 lead. After ETSU's Whitley Arnott retired Hannah Poole, Ansley Chiang was hit by a pitch and Ainsley Yoshizumi walked to load the bases. Senior Alex Rose Molinar followed with an RBI single to left field to extend the Furman lead to 4-2.
 
The Paladins put the game away and forced the mercy rule with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Chloe Fabio started the rally with a base on balls, Lykins walked, and Goldwait executed a sacrifice bunt. Kiley Perry walked to load the bases and Sylvia Burroughs was plunked by a 3-1 pitch to force in the Paladins' fifth run of the game. 
 
ETSU turned to Kendall Thackston out of the bullpen, but Poole drove in a run with a grounder to second base, Chiang singled to plate a run, and Yoshizumi dropped a two-run base hit into right-center. Fabio singled to center field to score another run before pinch-hitter Charlotte Brooks singled into the hole at shortstop for her first collegiate hit as the Paladins secured the run-rule victory, 11-3.
 
Senior Sierra Tufts, who surrendered three runs on 10 hits over 5.2 innings, earned the victory in the circle to improve her record to 11-9. Junior Emme Buzhardt retired the only batter she faced to earn her league-leading sixth save of the season.
 
Lykins, who collected her 200^th career hit, finished 3-for-4 in the series opener. Yoshizumi and Molinar collected two hits apiece while Burroughs batted in three runs.
 
Arnott (4-6) absorbed the loss for the Buccaneers after allowing four runs on six hits in five innings of work.
 
Game 2: Furman 6, ETSU 5
 
Senior Kaitlyn Laudick posted a career-day at the plate as Furman rallied from a 5-0 deficit in game two en route to completing the doubleheader sweep of Buccaneers, 6-5.
 
Laudick went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, homer, and career-best four RBIs. Her three extra-base hits in a game also matched a school record.
 
Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Goldwait chopped a one-out single up the middle and Perry fouled off five consecutive two-strike pitches before earning a base on balls. ETSU reliever Gabby Fowler got Burroughs to fly out to right field, but Laudick became the Senior Day hero by driving a 2-run, walk-off double into the left-center field gap to end the game.
 
The Bucs had jumped out to a 5-0 lead with five runs in the top of the third with the help of four hits, a walk, and a Paladin error. Pitcher Sara Muir capped the five-run outburst with three-run blast to right-center. 
 
Furman responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Goldwait was hit by a pitch to start the two-out rally and scored on Perry's triple down the right field line. Burroughs singled to left field to score Perry and Laudick followed with a two-run homer run off the glove of ETSU's centerfielder Brylee Mesusan, who made a leaping effort to rob the roundtripper.
 
Buzhardt (3-6) entered the game in relief of starter Lauralee Scott in the third inning and tossed 4.2 innings of one-hit ball to earn the victory. She walked one Buccaneer batter and fanned two.
 
Fowler (0-4) took the loss for ETSU after being charged with two runs on three hits over 1.2 innings of relief.
 
Goldwait joined Laudick in leading Furman's rally by going 2-for-3 with a pair of runs while Perry tripled, walked, and scored twice.

The Paladins honored seniors Hannah Poole, Kaitlyn Laudick, Sierra Tufts, Ashlee Lykins, Hana Hashioka, Ainsley Yoshizumi, Alex Rose Molinar, Chloe Fabio, and Chrissy Fleming prior to first pitch of the series opener. The group combined for 12 hits on the day.
 
Furman (23-29, 8-12 SoCon) and ETSU (11-37, 5-15 SoCon) are scheduled to conclude the series and regular season with an 11 a.m. first pitch on Saturday.