MASTNY, FURMAN SHUTDOWN COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 7-1
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. — Tom Mastny equalled his career-high with 10 strikeouts and freshman Matthew Betsill belted his first career homer leading Furman to a 7-1 win over College of Charleston in Southern Conference baseball action before 512 at Patriots Point Field Friday night.
Furman, which won its fifth consecutive game and for the ninth time in 10
outings, improved to 20-14 overall and 10-9 in league play. Charleston fell
to 22-16 and 10-6.
Mastny was simply outstanding all evening while improving his record to 8-2
on the season. The senior righty retired the first eight Cougars before allowing
a two-out single to Anthony Fairchild in the third inning, then retired 11 more
in a row before Lee Curtis reached on a one-out infield hit to third in the
seventh and eventually scored on Stanley Nix’s RBI single to right.
Mastny, who didn’t walk a batter and allowed just five hits, reached the
10-strikeout plateau for the fourth time in his career. Matt Soale (5-1) was
the tough-luck loser for the Cougars allowing seven runs, only five earned,
on nine hits over 8 2/3 innings. He walked none and struck
out five.
Derek Norman’s sacrifice fly to left capped the Paladins two-run third
inning for a 2-0 lead. Furman stretched its margin to 4-0 in the fourth by scoring
a pair of unearned runs as A.J. Davidiuk and Clint Hill had run-producing hits.
Betsill led off the sixth with a solo homer to right making it 5-0, and Hill
and Craig Caudill added RBI in the ninth for the final margin.
Davidiuk paced the Paladins with three hits and three runs scored, while teammate
Hill, Caudill and Betsill collected two hits each. Curtis had two of Charleston’s
five safeties.
The second game of the series is Saturday at 6:00.