The Paladins opened their 2014 campaign by playing four games in four days. They came away with three wins, against Norfolk St. (5-2), Toledo (13-5), and East Tennessee State (5-3). The lone loss was to Xavier, 11-6, in the team’s second game.
Last weekend’s home series against Virginia Commonwealth didn't go as planned for the Paladins, though, with Furman falling short in all three games.
In the opener against Norfolk St., the Paladins came sprinting out of the gate with a run in the first. Jake Jones and Chris Ohmstede drew walks; Alex Abrams singled to drive Jones in for the first run of the year. Norfolk St. followed up with a home run in the second inning. But the bottom of the second inning was the turning point in the game.
Catcher Andrew MacLatchie was hit by a pitch to start things off. The Burton twins each singled followed by another single by Jones to make the score 4-1. Greg Harrison hit a sac fly to complete the four-run inning. The Spartans got one more unearned run in the fourth to make it a 5-2 final. Elliott Warford pitched four innings, giving up one earned run and striking out six en route to his first win of the season. Brant Masters got the save, striking out the side in 22 pitches.
Photo courtesy of Furman Athletics
The game against Xavier proved to be a much tougher matchup than the day before. Furman opened up with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first off an RBI double by Ohmstede. The Musketeers jumped on pitcher Matt Solter in the second, scoring six runs in the inning. All of the damage came off of singles and walks. Xavier added one more run in the fifth and two in the sixth, making the score 9-1. The Paladins responded by scoring five in the bottom of the sixth. It wasn't enough to make the comeback, but it was good to see fight in the Paladins in the later innings.
To complete the Sunday double-header, the Paladins faced Toledo at Fluor Field in downtown Greenville. The Rockets jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first off a sacrifice fly. The Paladins responded in the third with a run of their own. Sky Overton earned a leadoff walk, stole second, and was driven in by Heath Burton's single to the right side.
The following inning the Paladins put up four runs on five hits and two walks. They would go on to score in innings three to seven, with five runs in the seventh. Alex Abrams got the win by pitching 4.1 innings, giving up seven hits and two earned runs while striking out two.
After a few days off, the next early season test was against East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn. Right away the Paladins put a run on the board. Ohmstede singled to center to drive in Hunter Burton. In the third the ‘Dins added another run on an RBI double by Abrams. In the bottom half of the third, the Buccaneers tied the game up at two off a two run double. The Paladins responded right back with a run of their own when Hunter Burton reached on a bases loaded fielder’s choice. ETSU scored their final run in the fifth, while the Paladins added some insurance runs in both the sixth and the seventh.
In the first two games against Virginia Commonwealth at home, offense was the name of the game. On Friday, VCU had a 7-1 lead entering the bottom of the fourth. That’s when the Paladin bats came alive, scoring five runs. The big hit came when Heath Burton smacked a three-run home run over the left field fence. The Paladins added three more in the seventh when Harrison hit a double to left driving in two runs and Abrams added a RBI single. It wasn’t enough, though — the Rams scored seven runs in the eighth to make the final score 14-9.
On Saturday, VCU didn’t waste anytime getting the bats going. They scored five runs in the top of the first. Furman would respond with a six-run inning in the fourth. Griffin Davis had a two RBI double to highlight the inning. The Rams would go on to add one in the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings. Harrison got the rally going in the ninth when he hit a solo shot to left to make it a one run difference. But it wasn’t enough to get the win as the Rams were able to escape with an 8-7 victory.
In the third and final game of the series, runs were at a premium. Furman’s Matt Solter pitched an excellent game, going 7.1 innings while only giving up two earned runs on three hits. The Paladins got on the board first in the sixth when Ohmstede hit a solo home run down the left field line. VCU would respond in the following inning with a sacrifice fly. They would go on to add another run in the eighth.
Once again, Furman showed some fight in the late innings with a comeback. Overton singled to the left side to drive in Simpson to tie the game, though VCU would hit another sacrifice fly in the tenth to win the game. Overall a tough weekend for the ‘Dins, but there are plenty of positives to take from the series.
Next, the Paladins will travel to Athens, Ga., on Feb. 25. That game will be followed by a tournament in Deland, Fla., at Stetson University, where the Paladins will take on Iowa, Maine, and Stetson. Then the ‘Dins will return home for a game against USC Upstate on March 4. After a two-day rest, the Paladins will play Gardner-Webb three times. The first and third games in the series will be played in Boiling Springs, with the Paladins hosting the second.