UNC ASHEVILLE DOWNS FURMAN 5-2

Box Score

Greenville, S.C.-UNC Asheville starter Brad Beck allowed two hits over five innings of work and Billy Carley drove in three runs as the Bulldogs downed Furman 5-2 in baseball action Wednesday evening at Furman Baseball Stadium.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 23-23 on the year and the Paladins fall to 24-21.

UNCA jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third inning with the help of three wild pitches by Furman starter Coogie Freedman (1-3). Robert Rudder led off the inning with a single to left field and later advanced to second on a Freedman wild pitch. The righthanded pitcher was then able to strike out Jake McConiga, but followed with two straight wild pitches, which allowed Rudder to score.

The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 3-0. Grant Rembert plated the first run of the inning after his double to right field scored Steve Sherman. Rembert then advanced to third on Freedman’s fourth wild pitch of the night and later scored on a Bill Carley sacrfice fly.

Carley broke the game open for UNCA in the seventh when his single to right field scored McConiga and Sherman to give the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead.

The Paladins, however, responded in the eighth inning, plating two runs to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 5-2. Relief pitcher Granville Gehris issued two walks with one-out to give the Paladins runners at first and second. Derek Norman then lifted a ball to shallow right field, but Rudder dropped the ball, allowing Clint Hill to score on the play. Rudder then committed another error as he overthrew the third basemen, which plated Andrew Greene.

McConiga came on in relief of Gehris to pitch a perfect ninth and pick up his second save of the year.

Beck (2-5) was perfect through the first three innings before giving up single hits in the fourth and the fifth. The righthanded pitcher finished the night with five strikeouts and no walks.

The Paladins return to action tomorrow when they host nationally-ranked Clemson in a 7:00 p.m. game. The Bulldogs next hit the road for a three-game Big South series against Elon. The two teams open the series with a 7:00 p.m. game on Friday.