EAGLES SOAR PAST FURMAN 8-3
Greenville, S.C.-- Georgia Southern starter Brian Rogers pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing only eight hits and three runs (only one of which was earned) to give the Eagles an 8-3 victory over Furman in baseball action Saturday evening at Furman Baseball Stadium.
Furman (8-15, 2-5 SoCon) jumped on the board in the third inning as Richie Dean scored when Craig Caudill grounded into a double play with the bases loaded to give the Paladins a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles responded in the top of the fifth as Carlos Love scored after J.R. Revere reached on an error by second baseman Cole Hubka. Chris Walker later drove in Revere on a sacrifice fly, allowing Georgia Southern to grab a 2-1 lead.
The Paladins came back in the bottom of the fifth as Clint Hill drove in Cole Hubka, who had earlier reached on a fielding error by the left fielder, Revere. Craig Caudill followed with a sacrifice fly off Rogers (5-1), allowing Hill to score and giving the Paladins a 3-2 advantage.
However, Furmanšs lead was short lived, as the Eagles scored three runs off Paladin starter Tom Mastny (2-2) in the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead. The inning was highlighted by home runs by Matt Hammond and Carlos Love.
In the seventh, Georgia Southern (18-7, 8-0 SoCon) extended its lead as Rocky Baker singled to center field, plating Jemel Spearman and Chris Walker to push the Eaglešs lead to 8-3.
Georgia Southern relief pitchers Kevin Culpepper and Jason Cadenhead combined to pitch the final 2 1/3 innings to seal the victory for the Eagles.
Furman looks to avoid being swept for the second week in a row on Sunday when it hosts in Georgia Southern in the final game of the series. The first pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.