May 1, 2001
FURMAN DOWNS UNC ASHEVILLE 11-6 IN TUESDAY BASEBALL ACTION
GREENVILLE -- Danny Rueckel pitched six innings of two-hit, shutout ball and received strong run support in Furman's 11-6 win over UNC Asheville in baseball action Tuesday evening at Furman Stadium.
With the win Furman (27-20) posted its seventh victory in its last nine games. The Paladins are only two wins shy of matching the school's all-time season win total of 29 games recorded in 1997, when Furman went 29-23. UNC Asheville (14-31) lost for the fourth straight time.
Rueckel (3-2), the team's regular shortstop making only the second start of his career, struck out seven and walked only one prior to exiting the game after six innings with Furman leading 10-0. The junior also drove in a run and scored twice as a designated hitter.
Furman, which pounded out 13 hits against four Bulldog pitchers, struck for three runs in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI singles by Rueckel and Cole Hubka, and a sacrifice fly by Brandon Barrett off Bulldog starter David Smith (0-1).
In the fifth inning the Paladins blew the game open with seven runs on six hits, highlighted by a pair of two-run singles by Chris Valdes and Barrett, and a two-run home run by Justin Maderer off UNCA's Seth Denton that stayed just inside the left field foul pole.
UNC Asheville tagged Paladin reliever Mike Dugan for three runs in the seventh to make it a 10-3 game and got its final runs of the contest in the ninth on a three-run home run by Stephen Hull.
Maderer headlined Furman's attack, going 3-for-4 with a home run, his fifth of the season, and two RBI, and Barrett drove in a team high three runs. Hubka added a pair of hits and two RBI as part of a 2-for-4 performance.
Furman returns to action on Wednesday when it takes on Charlotte in Charlotte in a 6:00 p.m. game.