CLINTON, S.C. ? Presbyterian College softball split a doubleheader with Furman on Thursday afternoon at the PC Softball Complex. PC won game one, 5-1, while Furman took a 7-3 victory in game two.
The doubleheader was played in rainy conditions with the first game going into a rain delay four times.
The Blue Hose snapped a season-high five-game losing streak with the game one victory over the Paladins. PC with the twinbill split on Thursday is now 10-23 on the year. Furman with the split is now 14-17 on the 2008 season.
Game One
Furman opened the first game on Thursday by plating their only run of the contest in the top half of the first inning.
PC tied the game in the bottom of the first when Jenny Box (Fruitland Park, Fla.) hit a home run to left field. The home run was the second of the year for Box.
PC scored the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the third inning with two runs. Ashley Ford (Marietta, Ga.) obtained the Blue Hose the two runs when she singled to left field to score Laura Tate (Spartanburg, S.C.) and Box, who had walked to start the inning. Tate had singled through the left side to get on base.
PC came back from the final rain delay on Thursday to score one run each in the fifth and sixth innings to take the 5-1 game one victory. Paige Cassady (Orlando, Fla.) first singled in Krysten Handy (Gainesville, Fla.) in the fifth inning to give PC a 4-1 lead.
Katie Anderson (North Augusta, S.C.) then scored PC's final run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth when she pinch-hit for Cari Clark (Lafayette, La.). Anderson took advantage of the chance to bat by belting her fourth home run of the 2008 season.
The Blue Hose had seven hits in total in game one, while Furman had four. No PC player recorded more than one hit in game one.
Abby Robertson had two hits to lead the Paladins.
PC's Mary Gordon (Vernon, Conn.) claimed her seventh victory from the circle in game one. Gordon fanned four in seven innings. Furman's Lana Mackey struck out eight in her losing effort from the circle in game one.
Game Two
Furman and PC played tight for the majority of game two, but the Paladins pulled away with three runs in the final two innings to take a 7-3 win.
PC was led in the second game by Anderson and Tate. Anderson was 2-for-3 in the second game, while Tate was 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored.
Furman only had one player with multiple hits in game two with Stephanie Cushing going 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored.
The Paladins scored a run for the second consecutive game in the top of the first inning. The Blue Hose responded to the run with one of their own in the bottom of the second when Cassady singled in Tate, who had opened the stanza by doubling to right field.
The Paladins pulled ahead 4-1 in the top of the third with three runs. The Blue Hose nevertheless continued to keep pace with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Bethany Ulrich earned the win for Furman, striking out 11 Blue Hose in her seven innings pitched. Cassady took the loss for PC, fanning four in her two and two-thirds of an inning in the circle.
Next Up
The Blue Hose stay at home next for a doubleheader against former NCAA Division II rival Queens (N.C.) at the PC Softball Complex on Sunday, April 6. First pitch in game one on Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
