The Furman women’s softball team continued its winning streak with a victory over UNC Greensboro. They claimed both games against the Spartans on Saturday, March 23 to clinch the doubleheader. The third game of the scheduled series was canceled due to rain.
The following weekend, on March 29 and 30, the Paladins traveled to Statesboro, GA to challenge Georgia Southern. After losing the first game, Furman rallied to take the next two games and the series from the Eagles.
The Paladins traveled to South Carolina to meet the Spartans in a doubleheader on March 23. Furman forced a mercy ruling after a mere five innings, taking the first game 8-0.
Junior Lauren Collier allowed the Spartans just five hits over the five innings without allowing a single walk. UNCG, on the other hand, walked the Paladins in four consecutive plays at the top of the second. This helped Furman gain two additional runs.
The Spartans failed to make even one run in the first game. Furman’s Collier drove three runs as well as tossing a five-inning shutout. Taylor Jerkins made a three-run blast with Collier and Ambree Muller on the bases.
Jerkins’s hit soared over the left field fence for her fifth homer of 2013.
The Paladins also claimed the second game against UNC Greensboro. Collier continued to dominate. She restricted the Spartans to two runs and six hits in more than four innings and struck out six players without a walk.
Muller made her team-leading sixth home run of the season in the sixth inning. Muller, Collier, Sieara Bishop and Nikki Legg claimed two hits apiece while Jerkins and Hannah Pace batted in four runs. Pace hammered a grand slam in the first inning to assist Furman towards its 10-5 victory.
On March 29 the Paladins traveled to face Georgia Southern.
While the Eagles took the first game 6-0 Furman rallied to win the series by claiming the next two games. Moving into the seventh inning of the second game the Paladins were down 4-1.
Stephanie Field set the Paladins with a run from first base off of Jenkins’s double while Stephanie Spain hit a two-run double. Spain’s hit assisted Alexis Galinski in making a run and helped tie the game 4-4.
Freshman Meaghan Houston scored the game winning final run to bring the Paladins ahead 5-4. Houston’s single marked her league-leading fifth save of the season.
Furman and Georgia Southern went head to head in the final game, entering into an eighth inning with a run apiece.
Bishop and Natalie Clemmons secured a run each to bring the game 3-1. The Eagles rallied with a run by Shelby Morrill, but it did not prove to be enough as Furman claimed the win 3-2.
The Paladins took the series, marking their first series win over the Eagles since 2004.