Monmouth outduels Furman in series opener

In a matchup of reigning conference pitcher of the years, Friday's game between Furman and Monmouth had the makings of a pitching duel and it delivered. In a game that took just 2:16 to play, Monmouth handed Furman ace Will Gaddis his first home loss in nearly two years as the Hawks won 4-2.
Monmouth's top two hitters from last season gave the Hawks the lead five pitches in Friday. Leadoff man Grant Lamberton, who hit .341 in 2016, doubled off the left field fence and Shaine Hughes singled him home. Hughes came around to score after a pair of wild pitches sandwiched around a groundout to second.
Furman catcher Cameron Whitehead cut the lead to 2-1 in the second on his second home run of the season.
Hughes singled leading off the third and later scored on a sac fly by Tom Jakubowski to make it 3-1. Hughes, who went 3-for-4 Friday, hit .385 last season.
"I thought they came out and put some really good swings on Will early. They played really well defensively. Their first baseman made some incredible scoops to get them out of jams, so my hat's off to Monmouth," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "We were a little off. ... We never really played Furman baseball and that's disappointing."
After giving up six hits and three runs over the first three innings, Gaddis tossed four shutout innings. The 2016 Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year allowed just one hit over the final four frames and retired the final seven batters he faced.
The Paladins (3-2) scratched a run closer in the sixth when Brandon Elmy doubled the opposite way into a big gap in right-centerfield to score Sky Overton.
Facing a Monmouth lineup with seven left-handed batters, Furman lefty reliever Billy Greenfield allowed just an unearned run over the final two innings to keep the Paladins within striking distance.
Furman lost a chance to score in the eighth when a controversial call ended the inning. After a one-out single by Jake Crawford, the sophomore advanced to second on a passed ball. Sky Overton hit a fly ball down the first base line that Monmouth first baseman Aidan Favia made a tremendous over-the-shoulder catch of in foul territory. Crawford tagged up and took third and then was stunned when he was called out for leaving second too early on an appeal by Monmouth.
Harker argued the call and questioned why the first base umpire who made the ruling wasn't watching the catch rather than the baserunner.
"It shouldn't come down to something like that," Harker said. "If we play like we're capable of, that's an irrelevant call in the game."
While not as overpowering as Gaddis, Monmouth starter Ricky Dennis (1-1) was slightly more effective. Against a Furman team that had 35 runs over its first four games, the 2016 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year gave up two runs on five hits over six innings. He had two walks and three strikeouts.
Justin Andrews allowed two hits over the final three innings for his first save for the Hawks (1-3).
For the game, Gaddis allowed three earned runs on seven hits in seven innings. He had eight strikeouts, no walks, and 68 of his 89 pitches went for strikes.
Gaddis' previous last loss at Latham Stadium came in a 1-0 defeat against The Citadel on May 16, 2015.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.