FURMAN SETS NEW SEASON WINS STANDARD
WITH 5-3 WIN OVER CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman broke open a tie game with three runs in the sixth inning on the way to a 5-3 victory over Charleston Southern in baseball action Saturday afternoon at Furman Stadium.
With the win, Furman’s seventh in its last eight games, the Paladins (31-22) set a new school single season wins total for a program that had won 30 games only once in its history, which dates back to 1891.
“It’s very exciting for our team to win more games than any team in school history, but every player knows this season will ultimately be judged on how well we do in the (Southern Conference) tournament next week,” said 10th year Furman head coach Ron Smith.
Saturday’s game marked the regular season finale for the Paladins, who won’t know who their tournament opening opponent until conference action is completed on Sunday. Furman finished the regular season with a 17-13 league record. Tournament action begins on Wednesday at Charleston’s Joseph P. Riley Park.
Furman jumped on top 1-0 in the first when Derek Norman deposited a Ian Holmen offering over the left field fence for his fourth home run of the season.
Charleston Southern tied the game in the fourth after Brandon Massey doubled to right center field off Paladin starter Coogie Freedman and came home on a single to left field off the bat of Scott Thacker.
The Paladins regained the lead in the bottom of the frame when Jon Stallsmith doubled with one out, advanced to third on a sacrifice, and came home on a Holeman wild pitch.
The Buccaneers knotted the game at 2-2 in the sixth on a Michael Blankenship solo home run to left field, but Furman answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-2 lead. Derek Norman singled to lead off and Jon Stallsmith followed with a sacrifice bunt that Buccaneer first baseman Adrian Vanderburg misplayed by throwing it down the right field line, allowing Norman to score and Stallsmith to reach third. Sam McLain then singled to drive in Stallsmith and moved to second and third on consecutive groundouts. Drew Latora completed the rally with a two-out RBI single to left field.
Charleston Southern opened the eighth with three straight hits off Calvin Hurst, including an RBI double by Massey, but Hurst doused the Buccaneer uprising by picking off Jeff Kolhagen at third base for the inning’s first out, getting Thacker on a fly out to deep center field, and striking out Michael Blankenship to end the inning.
Freshman pitcher David Mitchell came on in the ninth to earn his seventh save of the season to tie a Furman single season saves record.
Kyle Funk (7-2) picked up the win in relief after pitching two innings and allowing two hits and a run. Brad Bissell (4-11) took the loss for the Buccaneers after yielding three runs (one earned) on five hits in three innings of work.
Led by Massey’s three hits, Charleston Southern out hit Furman 12-7. Norman went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs, and McLain went 2-for-2 to lead the Paladins, whose starting lineup featured seven of the squad’s nine seniors playing the final home game of their respective careers. Jon Stallsmith, a member of Furman’s three-man starting pitching rotation, went 1-for-2 with a double and scored two runs after getting the starting nod at first base.