GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Presbyterian
College baseball team received another big day from Brad Zebedis (Rock Hill,
S.C.) and Tony Micklon (Sumter, S.C.) in its nonconference road game at Furman
on Wednesday, but the Paladins scored nine runs to edge the Blue Hose, 9-6.
PC moves to 18-12 overall while
Furman evens its record at 15-15.
Zebedis led all PC hitters with three
hits, three RBI and a run thanks in part to his ninth home run of the
season. Micklon added a home run as well, part of his two-hit, two-run day. Andrew Williams (Augusta, Ga.) extended his hitting streak to 10 games in the contest, matching Zebedis' earlier streak for the longest of the 2011 campaign.
The Blue Hose put seven pitchers in
the game but Stewart Curry (Rock Hill, S.C.) received the loss, his first of the year at an 0-1 record.
PC kicked off the game by putting a first-inning run on the
scoreboard for the 14th time this season. Zebedis cranked the second
pitch he saw over the left field wall for a solo shot to re-take the team home
run lead—before Micklon matched him later in the game—and give the Blue Hose a 1-0 lead.
Two opening walks from starting pitcher Chad White (Suwanee, Ga.) gave way to two hits and three
runs for Furman in the bottom half of the first as the Paladins took a 3-1
lead.
After three scoreless frames, the fifth inning saw PC use
some timely hitting and Paladin mistakes to grab a 5-3 lead.
Micklon caught Zebedis' short-lived team home run lead thanks
to a solo bomb to left center. The homer came from the first pitch Furman
pitcher Nate Smith offered on the day and helped PC pull closer, 3-2.
Two outs later, Tyler Hill (Goose Creek, S.C) and John
Wagner (Olney, Md.) posted back-to-back singles before Williams drove Hill home
with a single of his own to left center, evening the score at 3-3. Williams
took advantage of a Furman throwing error to advance to second after his hit,
putting two runners in scoring position.
Mack Hite (Abbeville, S.C.) earned a free pass to first base
by taking a 0-2 pitch off the body that loaded the bases for Zebedis. The
freshman catcher looped a high ball over first base that dropped into the
outfield for a 2-RBI single, giving the visitors a 5-3 lead.
Unfortunately for PC, the advantage would not last for long.
Furman loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth on two hits and a walk
before a plunked batter walked in a run and an ensuing sacrifice fly brought
the game even again, 5-5.
A wild pitch with the bases loaded again scored one Paladin followed
by a single up the middle to drive in one more. When the dust settled after the
inning, Furman had restored its two-run lead, 7-5.
The Blue Hose manufactured a run in the sixth to cut the
Furman lead in half. Micklon lined a single through the left side and took
advantage of a groundout and wild pitch to move to third. A deep Brandon Paul (Augusta,
Ga.) fly ball to centerfield was enough for Micklon to tag up and come home,
making the score 7-6.
In the bottom of the frame, Furman turned a leadoff triple
into a run via a single but Nick Ferguson (Lancaster, S.C.) limited the damage
to the lone score as Furman extended its lead, 8-6.
The Paladins added a run in the seventh off of Buck
Mosteller (Woodruff, S.C.) to boost its lead to 9-6 before Chandler Knox
(Columbia, S.C.) slammed the door in relief.
PC put two on base in the top of the ninth but Furman closer
Dylan Cole picked up his seventh save as the Paladins escaped with the win.
The Blue Hose return home for a Big South weekend series
against Coastal Carolina. The series begins on Friday at 3 p.m. at the PC
Baseball Complex.
