CARLTON'S TWO HOME RUNS SINK PALADINS 13-6
Greenville, S.C.--Maine's Jesse Carlton went 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI to lead the Black Bears past Furman in baseball action Wednesday afternoon at rain-soaked Furman Baseball Stadium.
With the win, Maine improves to 9-2 on the year, while Furman drops its fourth straight game to fall to 8-13 on the season.
Jesse Carlton got the Black Bears on the board in the second inning when he blasted a two-run home run off Patrick Griffin (0-1) to give Maine a 2-1 lead. The Black Bears later added a run in the third off a Griffin wild pitch.
The Paladins cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the third after Craig Caudill grounded out to score Cole Hubka.
Maine responded in the fourth inning as Carlton nailed his second two-run home run of the game to push the Black Bears' lead to 5-2. Mike Livulpi followed by reaching on an error by second baseman Cole Hubka, which scored Aaron Young to give Maine a 6-2 advantage.
However, after a Hubka home run and a Danny Rueckel sacrfice fly, Furman was able to claw its way back into the game, triming the Black Bears' lead to 7-5.
Clinging to a two run lead in the ninth, Maine jumped on Furman reliever Rob Purvis, scoring six runs on six hits to put the game out of reach for the Paladins.
For the Black Bears, Adam Labelle (1-1) scattered ten hits and four runs over 6 1/3 innings to pick up the win. Simon Williams, pitching for the first time in his collegiate career, threw the final 2 2/3 innings to pick up the save.
Maine travels to Clemson on Thursday to take on the nationally ranked Tigers in a 7:15 p.m. game. Furman hosts Southern Conference rival Georgia Southern for a three-game series this weekend. The first game is slated for Friday at 7:00 p.m.