GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Presbyterian College softball team opened its 2016 season with a doubleheader sweep of Furman on Tuesday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium in Greenville, S.C. The Blue Hose earned a 6-1 victory in game one, before holding off Furman in game two, 5-4.
PC (2-0) won its season opener for the first time since 2012, while starting the season 2-0 for the first time since a 7-0 start in 2011. The Blue Hose have won three of their last four against the Paladins (1-5), after splitting a doubleheader against the in-state foe back in 2014.
In game one, PC totaled 10 hits as seven of the nine batters in the order recorded a hit, led by Jenna Harris and Hope Rogers with two hits apiece. Three of the 10 hits found their way over the fence for PC's first three-homer game since March 28 of last season.
Sydney Seigler (1-0) earned the win for PC in her first start of the year, while SoCon Preseason Pitcher of the Year Lindsey Bert (1-3) was tagged with the loss. Seigler was excellent on the mound, tossing a complete game and allowing just one run on seven hits with just one walk against two strikeouts. She retired nine of the first 10 batters she faced in the game.
PC claimed the early lead with a solo home run by Sanchez in the top of the third. Furman would tie the game at 1-1 with a solo home run off the bat of Candace Johnson in the bottom of the fourth.
The Blue Hose busted it open in the fifth, as Kersten Legacki and Madison Longanecker started the frame with back-to-back singles to left. Jordan Ashley moved the runners up with a groundout up the middle, putting them at second and third with one out. Sanchez drove in the first with a sac fly and Harris would follow with a single to score the other, giving PC a 3-1 lead.
PC added to its lead with two outs in the top of the seventh. Harris singled to reach base for the third time in the game and Rogers drilled a home run to left field, putting PC on top 5-1. Ruff then came to the plate and made it back-to-back homers with a shot to center to give PC the 6-1 lead.
Furman was led by Johnson with two hits, a home run, a run and an RBI, while Brittany Houston totaled a pair of hits.
In game two, PC totaled five runs on nine hits with three more home runs to finish the day with six. Rogers went 2-of-4 for the second straight game with a home run, a run and an RBI, while Lagacki went 2-for-2 with a walk, a homer, a run and an RBI.
Katie Brown (1-0) earned the victory, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits in 6.1 innings pitched and three strikeouts, while hitting a home run to drive in two runs at the plate. Alex Sappington (0-1) was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs on five hits in her first start of the season.
Sanchez led off game two with a solo home run to put PC on top 1-0 just one batter in to the contest. Furman tied it in the third with a run on a single by AnnaRose Borrelli to make it 1-1.
The Blue Hose broke it wide open with three runs in the fourth and another in the fifth. Anderson walked to lead off the inning and, after Jonnie Petree pinch ran, Legacki doubled to make it a 2-1 PC lead. Brown would then help herself with a two-run home run to left to extend the lead to 4-1. Rogers then tacked on one more in the fifth with a solo homer, her second of the day, to make a 5-1 PC advantage.
Furman would rally back, though, with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the PC lead to 5-4. SoCon Preseason Co-Player of the Year Sieara Bishop led off the inning with a single to left and moved to second on an error. Borrelli then followed with a home run to left to make it a 5-3 ballgame with no outs in the inning. Hannah Reynolds singled up the middle, forcing PC to go to the bullpen and call upon Natasha Sherrod. She would face Andrea Abbatiello, who singled and advanced to second on error, which allowed the runner to score to cut it to 5-4.
Both teams threatened for runs in the seventh but pitching would prevail. Harris singled to lead off the PC half of the inning and Erin Ruff followed with a single two batters latter to put two on with one out. Furman's Emily Demonte would get a groundout and a strikeout to end the threat.
In the home half, Brown re-entered the game for PC and got the first two batters to fly out to right. Reynolds followed with a double to left and Abbatiello walked to put two on with two outs. Brown was able to get Collins to pop up to second on a nice grab by Ruff to end the game and preserve the 5-4 victory.
Borrelli and Reynolds each put together three-hit games out of the five and six spots in the lineup, respectively. Borrelli drove in three of the four Furman runs in the game, while also scoring one.
PC returns to action this weekend with five games in the Charlotte 49ers Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.
