February 25, 2001
Furman Falls 13-6 to Davidson in Southern Conference Opener
Davidson, N.C.-- Junior Tim Frend and senior Dylan Deal each had three hits and three RBI for Davidson in the first Southern Conference baseball game of the spring as the Wildcats (6-0, 1-0) knocked off the visiting Furman Paladins (8-3, 0-1) by a score of 13-6.
The Wildcats got right to work in the first as Frend launched a two-run homer, his second of the year, to right center. In the following inning, Davidson plated four more runs on four hits, a hit batter, an error, and a wild pitch. The damage could have been much worse in those first two innings as only two Davidson batters were retired by Paladin starter Tom Mastny; the other four outs were recorded on the bases.
In the third, Furman got on the board after a couple of singles put runners on the corners, and Clint Hill hit a run scoring fielder's choice.
But the 'Cats put the game away in the sixth as they batted around and put up seven runs. The big blow in the inning was a three-run double by Deal to left-center field. Senior Jeremiah Parvin and junior Billy Ryan had RBI singles for Davidson in the inning as well.
The 13 runs were more than enough for Wildcat sophmore Derrik Wolpert (2-0). Through six innings, he gave up just the one run before beginning to tire in the seventh. Cole Hubka led off the seventh with a base hit, then scored on Danny Rueckel's triple, on which Parvin nearly made an astounding over-the-shoulder catch at the fence in center. After striking out his eighth batter of the afternoon. Wolpert surrendered Adam Etherington's third homer of the season into the trees in left.
After a lead-off homer by Chris Valdes in the eighth, Wolpert's day was done. He pitched seven-plus innings, allowing seven hits and five runs with one walk and eight strikeouts. Freshman Brian Akin finished the final two innings, allowing just one run.
Everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit and scored at least one run for Davidson, and junior Jack Purcell joined Frend and Deal with three hits while scoring three runs as well. The Wildcats have now scored at least 11 runs in their last five games, and the 6-0 start is their best ever.
Etherington led Furman with three hits, including his two-run homer, while Rueckel stroked a double and a triple. Mastny (1-1) was stuck with the loss after yielding 10 runs, eight earned, on 13 hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
Due to heavy rains in the morning, the scheduled doubleheader for Sunday afternoon was shifted to Monday at 1 p.m. The two teams will play a nine-inning game, followed by a seven-inning contest