Troy, Ala. – Furman softball suffered a pair of losses to mid-major powers on the opening day of Troy University's Trojan Invitational Friday at the Troy Softball Complex.
Omaha 10, Furman 0 (5 Inn.)
The Omaha Mavericks, ranked atop the latest mid-major softball poll, improved to 11-0 on the season with a 10-0 victory over the Paladins in game two of the Trojan Invitational.
Omaha plated 10 runs in the opening three innings while pitchers Alexis Wiggins and Grace Hornbuckle combined on a one-hit shutout. Wiggins improved to 4-0 in the circle by holding the Paladins to just a leadoff single and base on balls over three shutout innings while fanning four batters.
Furman starter
Jamison Noonan (0-4) walked three of the first four batters she faced in the top half of the first inning and all three came around to score as Marra Cramer delivered a two-run double and Rylee White drove in a run with a fielder's choice. After Katherine Johnson's two-run base hit upped the Maverick lead to 5-0 in the second inning, Omagha exploded for five runs in the top of the third. Haley Wilwerding opened the scoring with an RBI double before Hailey Boltz launched a two-run homer to centerfield. Two singles and a Paladin error set the table for Cramer to drive in two more runs with a single.
Cramer went 2-for-3 with four RBI to lead the Omaha attack while
Eden Frederick collected Furman's lone hit.
Noonan allowed 10 runs on 10 hits and four walks over four innings to absorb the loss. Junior
Taylor Miller tossed a scoreless inning of relief.
Troy 11, Furman 2 (5 Inn.)
Troy's Ella Cunningham tossed a five-inning no-hitter and fanned 10 Paladins to propel the Trojans to an 11-2 win over Furman in the third game of the day at the Troy Softball Complex.
Cunningham (1-0) worked around five walks and two hit batters and escaped a bases loaded jam in the fifth inning to earn the run-rule victory.
RBI double in each of the first two innings helped the Trojans (10-1) to a 3-0 lead before they plated four runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. After doubling to drive in a run the previous inning, Dailyn Motes laced a two-run single to center to key the four-run rally in the third. The following frame four consecutive pinch hitters reached safely for Troy, capped by Amity White's two-run single off the glove of second baseman
Kristyn Embler as the Trojans increased their advantage to 11-0.
Gianna Frino was hit by a pitch and
Christina McCoy and Frederick worked walks to load the bases with one out in the top of the fifth for the Paladins.
Kate Stoltzfus was plunked with a pitch to force in Furman's first run. After Cunningham struck out
Sydney McGuirk, a passed ball allowed McCoy to cross the plate with the second run.
Sylvia Burroughs loaded the bases again with a walk, but Cunningham retired Embler to end the game and complete the no-hitter.
Embler (1-4) allowed seven runs on eight hits in three innings in the circle to take the loss.
Motes, Makaley Boswell, and McKinnon Howard each recorded two hits to lead the Troy offense.
Furman (1-10) is back in action on Saturday when it faces Nicholls at 9:30 a.m. ET and Kennesaw State at 12 p.m. Fans can follow live statistics for all games this weekend via StatBroadcast at FurmanPaladins.com.
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