A frustrating weekend series for Furman came to a close Sunday at No. 20 Ole Miss. Unfortunately for the Paladins, it followed the same script as the first two games. The Rebels shut out Furman for the third day in a row in a 1-0 victory.
It marked the fourth consecutive loss for the Paladins (8-7), who haven't scored in 33 innings.
Once again, Furman's offense could not take advantage of a good effort from its starting pitcher. Senior right-hander Matthew Quarles scattered seven hits over seven scoreless innings. He had one walk and five strikeouts.
"Matthew Quarles did everything he possibly could," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "We just struggled at the plate again.
"Credit their guys, they have really good arms. They'll be one of the most elite pitching staffs in the nation. That being said, we've got to figure out how to make adjustments."
Neither team scored until the bottom of the eighth. Kyle Watson greeted Furman reliever Heath Hawkins with a leadoff single. After a sacrifice bunt, the Paladins called on lefty releiver Billy Greenfield. The Rebels countered with pinch-hitter Michael Fitzsimmons, who singled to left scoring Watson with the game's lone run.
Furman's best scoring chance came in the ninth. With one out, Landon Kay walked and Brandon Elmy singled. The pair took third and second, respectively, on a ground out before Ole Miss reliever Dallas Woolfolk got John Michael Boswell to bounce out to second to end the game.
Ole Miss (11-5) starter Greer Holston allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings. He had two walks and six strikeouts. Andy Pagnozzi (2-0) struck out the side in the eighth to pick up the win, while Woolfolk recorded his fourth save.
Furman's offense finished the series with nine hits - all singles, no runs, five walks and 30 strikeouts.
"When you're facing those type of arms, it's not that you're going to put up 8 or 10 runs, it's just having more quality at-bats," Harker said. "We just didn't hit the ball that hard (in the series). It's easy to field 27-hoppers."
Furman pitching did have a solid showing in Oxford, Miss. The Paladins limited Ole Miss to just two extra-base hits in the series, a home run and a double that probably should've been ruled a single and two-base error.
After a rough first couple of games in which it committed four errors, which should've been five, the Paladins bounced back defensively Sunday. In addition to playing error-free baseball, Furman also turned five double plays.
The Paladins return to action Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they face South Carolina at Fluor Field.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.
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