April 13, 2002
BENEFIELD'S THREE RUN HOME RUN SINKS PALADINS 4-3
Greenville, S.C.-- Eli Benefield blasted a three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to lead Davidson to a 4-3 victory over Furman in baseball action Saturday evening at Furman Baseball Stadium.
With the win, the Wildcats take sole possession of eighth place in the conference with a 15-21 record overall and a 7-10 mark in league play. Furman drops to ninth place with the loss, posting a 15-21 record overall, while having a 6-11 record in the conference.
The Paladins got on the board early after Derek Norman drove in Clint Hill on a ground-out to the shortstop to give Furman a 1-0 lead. Furman tried to extend its lead in the second after Danny Rueckel singled up the middle with only one out. Catcher Brandon Barrett followed with a line drive off Wildcat starter Derrik Wolpert's chest, putting runners on the corner and knocking Wolpert from the game after only 1 1/3 of an inning. Davidson reliever Matt Dellinger took over for Wolpert and forced Cole Hubka into a double play to get out of the inning.
In the fifth inning, the Wildcats took advantage of some Paladin miscues to garner their first run of the game. D.J. Dailey singled with two outs and advanced to second on an error by right fielder Nick Wajda to move into scoring position. Dailey then scored on back-to-back wild pitches by Paladin starter Jeff Stovall (2-2) to knot the score at 1-1.
Davidson broke the tie in the sixth inning after Eli Benefield nailed a three-run home run to left field to give the Wildcats a 4-1 lead.
Furman came back in the bottom of the sixth inning to score two runs off three hits. Nick Wajda plated the first run of the inning after his ground-out scored pinch-runner Brad Cooper to cut the Wildcat's lead to 4-2. Danny Rueckel followed with a double off Dellinger to drive in Dominic Frankey to slice the lead to 4-3.
The Paladins made things interesting in the ninth when Cole Hubka was hit by a pitch to lead-off the inning. Hubka then advanced to second after reliever Matt Wood threw the ball away on an attempted pick-off. However, Hubka was caught stealing third, and Wood retired the next two batters to seal the victory for the Wildcats, picking up his second save in the process.
Dellinger (3-2) scattered seven hits and two runs over five innings of relief to pick up the win.
Furman takes on Davidson in the final game of the series on Sunday at Furman Baseball Stadium. The first pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.