April 21, 2004
Lady Paladin Drop Twinbill at #25 South Carolina
Columbia, S.C. -- Stacey Johnson tossed a no-hitter in game one and freshman McKenna Hughes collected four hits and three RBI in the doubleheader to lead #25 South Carolina to a sweep of Furman 6-0, 8-2 Wednesday evening at Beckham Field.
In game one, Johnson (15-8) struck out six while allowing one walk and facing just 22 batters in the no-hit effort.
South Carolina got all the offense it would need in the first inning. Meghan Cornett reached when she was hit with a pitch, advanced to second on Hughes' double to right and scored on a two-out single by Amber Curtis.
After single runs in the third and fourth innings upped the Gamecock lead to 3-0, South Carolina put the game away in the sixth. The Gamecocks loaded the bases with three singles and Samantha Jennings scored on a wild pitch. With one out, Cornett laced a two-run single to center for the final 6-0 margin.
Rachel Henley (9-18) took the loss for Furman allowing five earned runs on ten hits. Henley recorded two strike outs and walked one.
Hughes went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored for the Gamecocks, while Cornett batted in three runs. Kristin White's sixth inning walk accounted for the Lady Paladins' only base runner of the game.
South Carolina struck for seven runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning, highlighted by Hughes' three-run double, to down Furman 8-2 in the nightcap.
The Gamecocks used a crucial Furman error, along with six hits and a walk, to score six unearned runs in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead.
Lakerah Barr started a Lady Paladin rally in the sixth with a leadoff double to right field. JoDee Eichelberger followed with a bunt single and Megan Jaudon singled to right to drive home Barr. After Jessica Matthews bounced into a double play, Joni Lockridge singled to right to score Jaudon cutting the lead to 7-2. Pitcher Melanie Henles got Kristy Goodrich to ground back to the circle to end the rally.
South Carolina added an insurance run the bottom of the sixth and Henles set down Furman in order in the seventh to secure the 8-2 win.
With the victory, Henkes improved to 6-7 on the season. She surrendered just two runs on five hits while tossing a complete game.
Starter Erica Nesselroad (0-11) suffered the loss for Furman. The sophomore gave up seven runs, only one earned, in 3.2 innings of work.
Cornett and catcher Ashley Smith each collected two hits for South Carolina while Hughes went 1-for-3 with three RBI.
For Furman, Barr went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored while Jaudon and Lockridge each recorded an RBI.
Furman, now 12-39 on the season, return to action on Saturday when it hosts Appalachian State in a Southern Conference doubleheader set to begin at 1 p.m. at Pepsi Stadium. The Lady Paladins and Mountaineers will conclude their three-game series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.