Furman 2, ETSU 1
Furman 7, ETSU 6 (9 inn.)
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Sophomore Courtney Jacobs singled through the left side with two outs in the top of the ninth to drive in Lindsey Bert and junior Alex Sappington retired ETSU in order in the bottom of the frame as Furman claimed a 7-6 victory in game two to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Bucs on Friday at Betty Basler Field.
The sweep improved the Paladins to 22-21 overall and 5-6 in the Southern Conference, while ETSU fell to 12-25 overall and 1-10 in league play.
Due to mechanical trouble with the team bus, game one of the twinbill was pushed back to a 4 p.m. start, but the travel difficulties did not effect the Paladins' pitching as Bert tossed a one-hitter to propel Furman to a 2-1 win.
Bert, a freshman from Tallahassee, Fla., gave up an unearned run in the first after the leadoff hitter reached on an error before retiring 21 of the next 23 batters she faced, including 14 in a row. She fanned seven batters without issuing a walk to improve to 16-11 in the circle.
Trailing 1-0, Elise Smith pulled the Paladins even by opening the top of the second inning with a solo homer to right field. After stranding nine runners in the first six innings, Furman broke the tie in the top of the seventh. Natalie Clemmons began the frame with a bloop single just inside the right field line. Bishop followed with a sacrifice bunt and Clemmons rounded second and headed for third when seeing that nobody was covering the bag. ETSU's throw to third sailed down the left field line allowing Clemmons to scamper home with the eventual winning run.
Madison Ogle (2-7) suffered the loss for the Bucs, allowing just one earned run on five hits in seven innings of work. She walked seven Paladins and recorded five strikeouts.
Taylor Jenkins reached base safely in all four trips for Furman in the opener as she worked three walks and added a single.
In the nightcap, ETSU rallied to force extra innings and erased a two-run deficit in the eighth, but Furman survived to claim the 7-6 win in nine innings.
With Furman leading 4-0 after two and 1/2 innings, ETSU plated three runs in the bottom of the third and a scratched across another in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. After the Bucs started the third with back-to-back singles, Nicole Fox put the home team on the board with a one-out, RBI single and Cassi Pickett followed with a two-run double into the right-center field gap.
Furman squandered a chance to put the game out of reach by leaving the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and ETSU capitalized in the bottom of the inning. Mallorree Schurr reached on a leadoff single, moved to second on a bunt, went to third base on a wild pitch and scored on Fox's sacrifice fly to center field.
The Paladins regained the lead the next half inning as Jacobs and Ambree Muller scored on Clemmons slicing one-out triple into the right field corner off of ETSU reliever Whitney Leon. The Bucs, however, quickly rallied in the bottom of the eighth. The first two batters reached base, and following a sacrifice bunt, scored on a wild pitch and RBI ground out.
In the top of the ninth, Bert laced a leadoff double to left-center and advanced to third base on Brittany Houston's sacrifice bunt. Following a popout by Hope Smith, Jacobs lined a 3-2 pitch into left field to break the tie.
Sappington, who improved to 4-10 in the circle, capped her two scoreless innings of work by setting down the Bucs in order in the bottom of the inning.
Leon, who allowed three earned runs on nine hits in six innings of relief, absorbed the loss for ETSU to fall to 4-9.
Jacobs, who entered the game as a defensive replacement, went 3-for-3 at the plate while Clemmons finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs. Bert added two hits and drove in two.
Furman and ETSU conclude the three-game weekend series with a single game on Saturday at 3 p.m.