April 11, 2004
Charleston Downs Furman 3-0, Completes Series Sweep
Charleston, S.C. -- Leshe Russell belted a two-run home run and Natalie Smith tossed a complete-game shutout to lead the College of Charleston to a 3-0 win over Furman and sweep of a three-game softball series at Patriots Point Sunday.
After Smith and Furman starter Kristy Goodrich held each other's offense without a hit for over four innings, Charleston's Darcy Johnson reached base when she was hit by a pitch with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Russell, CofC's leadoff hitter, followed with a line drive homer over the left field fence to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead and break up the no-hit bid.
Kristin White singled for Furman's first hit of the day, but was left stranded. Shannan Edwards delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom half of the inning for the final 3-0 margin.
Smith improved to 11-4 after limiting Furman to one hit while striking out five and not allowing a walk. Goodrich (2-9) absorbed the loss allowing three runs on five hits in six innings of work.
The Lady Paladins, 9-35 overall and 4-5in the Southern Conference, return to action Thursday when they host Charleston Southern in a non-conference doubleheader. Furman will travel to Elon for a three-game conference set beginning April 17.