Furman 2, Charlotte 1
Charlotte 2, Furman 1 (8)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Senior Lana Mackey limited Charlotte to an unearned run on four hits over seven innings in game one to lead Furman to a 2-1 victory and doubleheader split with the 49ers on Monday evening at Phillips Softball Complex. Charlotte rallied to down the Paladins 2-1 in extra innings in game two.
The non-conference split moved Furman, winners in six of its last eight games, to 12-13 on the season. Charlotte dropped to 24-7.
Sophomore Stephanie Field, who went 3-for-4 at the plate in game one, led off the contest with a double to right field and scored on Jessie Homesley's single through the left side to give Furman a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Whitney Williams opened the bottom of the first with a single, stole second and advanced to third on an error before scoring on Kendra McCall's sacrifice fly to center field.
Furman took the lead for good in the second inning. Freshman Sidney Vlass, who reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and scored on a two-out throwing error to hand the Paladins a 2-1 lead.
Mackey improved to 9-6 in the circle by scattering three hits while holding the 49ers scoreless over the final six innings. She walked three and struck out five.
The top three hitters in the Furman batting order went 7-for-11 at the plate as Field collected three hits and Katie Michaels and Homesley registered two apiece.
Gina Allen (0-1) suffered the loss for Charlotte allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits in 2.2 innings of work. She issued one walk and did not record a strikeout. Williams went 3-for-4 to lead the 49ers offense.
In game two, Lindsey Holloman scored on Serena Smith's fielder's choice with one out in the bottom of the eighth to give Charlotte a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Furman.
The Paladins took a sixth inning lead when sophomore catcher Alex Bimonte belted her first career home run, a solo shot, to left field.
Tenaya Tucker led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo blast to left-center to knot the game at 1-1. Charlotte starter Katy Hackett left two runners stranded on base in the top of the eighth before McCall's single moved international tiebreaker runner Holloman to third prior to Smith's game-winning grounder.
Hackett upped her record to 11-2 in the circle holding Furman to just one run on three hits while striking out 11 Paladins. She did not allow a walk and allowed just one hit, Bimonte's homer, after the first inning. McCall collected two hits for the 49ers.
The Paladins return home to host Georgia State in a non-conference double header on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch of game one is set for 3 p.m.
Most Furman home games and selected road contests will be available via GameTracker. Fans can follow Furman action by logging onto www.furmanpaladins.com and following the links on the athletics schedule or by surfing to the Furman softball page.
No. 8 Georgia 10, Georgia Southern 0 (5)
ATHENS, Ga. - The No. 8 Georgia Lady Bulldog softball team took an early 2-0 lead and then used an eight-run inning in the third to knock out Georgia Southern's top pitcher en route to a 10-0 win after five innings. The Eagles were held to three hits, with senior shortstop Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) collecting two and senior first baseman Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) picking up one.
Georgia scored a run in the bottom of the first and second innings before four straight hits in the third produced three Bulldog runs. Up 5-0, two more runs were added following a single and a walk. With Lady Bulldogs on first and third, Alisa Goler hit a three-run home run to complete the game. Erin Arevalo earned the win and Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) was tagged with the loss (13-5).
The Eagles (19-13, 6-2 SoCon) continue with out-of-conference play this week and head to Macon Tuesday, April 6 for a doubleheader at Mercer. The first game will began at 4 p.m. with the second game set for a 6 p.m. start.