GREENVILLE, S.C. - Presbyterian College split a
doubleheader with Furman on Thursday afternoon, dropping the opener, 8-2 before
winning the finale, 5-3. Katie Anderson
tallied the game-winning hit in the top of the seventh to put the visitors up
by one run.
The Blue Hose
(17-22) opened their account in the third inning with two runs. The bases were loaded for Tera Powell who
grounded to the shortstop. However, an
error by the infielder allowed both Becca Caldwell and Amanda Miller to
cross. Powell was awarded an RBI on the
play but a double-play ended the inning two batters later with a runner
stranded.
Furman (20-18)
roared back in the bottom of the frame with three runs off three hits and three
Blue Hose errors. The Paladins cashed in
for three more in the fifth inning off two hits and a PC error. The runs put PC in a 6-2 hole going into the
sixth frame.
Two more runs
came to the plate for Furman in the bottom of the sixth to take a 8-2 lead into
the top of the seventh.
PC couldn't
knife into the deficit in the final frame and took the loss in game one. Brittany Howell was given the loss in the
circle to fall to 3-6. Lana Mackey was
credited with the win for Furman to improve to 14-7.
In game two,
Furman came out hot with three runs in the first inning.
Two open
innings made way for the Blue Hose to take a run back in the fourth
inning. Leslie Hensley was brought home
on Taylor Staten's single to left field.
The run cut the Furman lead to 3-1.
Hensley, the
pitcher for game two, threw blanks for the fifth and sixth innings to give the
Blue Hose a chance in the seventh.
The offense
obliged by grinding out four runs in the top of the seventh. A fielding error put Kayla Handy on first
base and she was moved over on a Rachel Hopper single into the left field power
alley. Tera Powell reached on a fielder's
choice while Handy scored on a muffed catch by the third baseman. The next batter, Morgan Durham was hit by a
pitch to load the bases for Anderson.
The designated player hit a go-ahead single to left field Bringing
Payne, who ran for Hopper, around to score along with Powell. Lindsey Trombley brought in an insurance run
in with a ground out to third base to plate Durham and give the Blue Hose a 5-3
lead.
Hensley gave
up two hits to open the seventh, but a strikeout and a pair of fly balls to the
left fielder dismissed the Paladins and gave the doubleheader split to the Blue
Hose. Hensley improved to 7-10 on the
year while Furman's Hannah Bradley took the loss to fall to 2-6 on the campaign.
The Blue Hose
will return to the league season this weekend on the road against Coastal
Carolina. The series from Conway starts
on Saturday at 4 p.m.
