February 3, 2001
FURMAN OPENS 2001 BASEBALL SEASON
WITH DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP OF HIGH POINT
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman University opened its 2001 baseball season Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of visiting High Point, taking a 6-4 victory in game one and 12-3 decision in game two.
In game one Furman pushed across two runs in the bottom of the sixth off High Pointıs Jason Brennan (0-1), getting an RBI triple from Spartanburg, S.C., native Adam Etherington (Dorman High School) and sacrifice fly by Clint Hill to break a 4-4 tie on the way to the 6-4 win.
Rob Purvis (1-0), who surrendered a game tying two-run home run to High Pointıs Kemp Smith in the top of the sixth, benefitted from Furmanıs sixth inning rally by gaining the victory in relief of Paladin starter Toby David. Starting shortstop Danny Rueckel, who led off the fifth inning with a solo home run, pitched a scoreless seventh inning to earn the save.
In game two Furmanıs Chris Valdes went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs to pace a 12-hit Paladin attack in the 12-3 victory. Valdes, a senior from Greenville (Wade Hampton High School), doubled in a pair of runs to spark a three-run Paladin first inning and added a single and two RBI in the second inning to help stake Furman to a 6-1 lead. The Paladins tacked on single runs in the fourth and fifth frames before putting the game away with four runs in the bottom of the sixth on four hits, including a run scoring double by Ryan Presnell, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI in the contest.
Corey Etheridge (1-0) pitched around five walks by surrendering only one hit over four innings to post the win. Clayton Gordner (0-1) , who yielded three hits and four walks in one and a third innings of work absorbed the loss for High Point in game two.
The two teams wrap up the three-game series on Sunday at Furman Stadium in a 1:00 p.m. game.