Paladins fall in SoCon championship

After staving off elimination early Sunday afternoon, the Furman baseball team finally ran out of steam in the Southern Conference Tournament championship finale. Playing its fourth game in 30 hours, Furman fell to UNC Greensboro 13-1 in seven innings as the Spartans punched their first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 1997.
Furman defeated UNCG 6-4 to open Sunday's tournament play at Fluor Field. The winner-take-all rematch was shaping up to be another close contest for much of the game.
Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Paladins loaded the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Jason Costa hammered a line drive to left field where UNCG standout outfielder Ben Spitznagel tracked it down to end the threat.
That seemingly took all the air out of Furman's balloon. The Spartans (35-22) sent 14 men to the plate in the seventh, and scored nine runs on four hits, four walks, a hit batter, a wild pitch and two errors. UNCG retired the Paladins (33-28) in order in the bottom of the seventh to complete the mercy rule victory.
In the bottom of the second, it appeared that Jason Costa got Furman on the scoreboard with a two-run home run. His long drive down the left-field line landed in the seats atop the Green Monster. With there being no seats in foul territory there, it was thought to be a two-run homer but was ruled foul. The play was reviewed and the foul call was confirmed.
The Spartans got a lift from unexpected sources to capture the SoCon title. Jake Lewis, who entered with a 6.33 ERA and having allowed 25 hits in 21 1/3 innings, worked a career-long 5 1/3 innings. Lewis (2-2) gave up one run on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Dan Loats, who threw 104 pitches in his start against Furman the day before, worked the final 1 2/3 innings for his second save.
UNCG's Ryne Sigmon, who entered Sunday batting .220 with two home runs, blasted a pair of homers in the game two win. SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player Tripp Shelton drove in four runs for the Spartans, as did Michael Goss.
Game 1 - Furman 6, UNCG 4
Costa went 3-for-3 and Sky Overton had three hits, including his sixth home run, as Furman rallied to stay alive in the opening game Sunday.
Trailing 4-3 through seven innings, Jabari Richards got Furman's rally started with a double leading off the eighth. After a pair of groundouts, Cameron Whitehead delivered a game-tying RBI-single. Costa followed with a high pop up on the infield that landed in between UNCG's catcher and first baseman. That allowed Whitehead to come home with the go-ahead run.
Overton provided a big insurance run in the ninth with a two-out homer to left-centerfield.
Furman ace Will Gaddis, who's seemingly done everything on the hill in his three years with the Paladins, added something new to the list. In likely his last appearance in a Furman uniform, Gaddis went the final 1 1/3 innings for the first save of his career.
Sunday wrapped up an amazing run by Furman over the second half of the season. Seven weeks to the day earlier, the Paladins were 1-8 in the SoCon after getting swept at UNCG. Furman, which went 3-17 during that stretch of the season, ended up tying the school's record for wins after going 22-8 over its final 30 games.
All-Tournament honors: Whitehead, Overton and starting pitcher Grant Schuermann made the SoCon All-Touranment team. Schuermann allowed one unearned run in Furman's big 6-1 win over top-seeded Mercer on Thursday.
Whitehead went 8-for-20 with two homers and eight RBIs. Overton tied a tournament record with 14 hits in 26 at-bats, and alos had eight RBIs.

Paladins outlast ETSU, advance to SoCon championship

The perfect script that Furman's baseball team enjoyed over the first few days of the Southern Conference Tournament took an unwanted plot twist Saturday afternoon. However, late Saturday night the Paladins clinched a spot in the final chapter. While a daunting task awaits Sunday, it could set up quite a storybook finish.
Fourth-seeded Furman held on for an 8-6 win over No. 7 seed ETSU in an elimination game Saturday night at Fluor Field. The Paladins (32-27) advance to Sunday's championship against No. 3 seed UNC Greensboro at noon. Furman, which lost to UNCG 12-8 Saturday afternoon, will have to beat the Spartans twice Sunday to claim its first SoCon Tournament title since 2005.
"After that game (earlier Saturday) didn't go our way, we just said 'boys, let's figure out a way to play for a championship,' " Furman coach Brett Harker said. "We just kept grinding and grinding ... and we're playing for a championship on Sunday.
"It's not going to be easy, but I'll take our 27 guys."
Things were tense Saturday night as the teams battled through six innings of a 3-3 tie. The Paladins then rattled a bit with back-to-back errors to begin the seventh. While Heath Hawkins induced a ground ball double play from ETSU's .349-hitting leadoff man Chris Cook, the Buccaneers still made Furman pay for its earlier miscues. Aaron Maher hit an RBI-double and Hagen Owenby followed with an RBI-single as ETSU took a 5-3 lead.
The Paladins answered in the bottom of the seventh. Logan Taplett, who started at third with Jake Crawford on the mound, drew a leadoff walk and Sky Overton followed with a double. Jabari Richards then lined a two-run single up the middle to tie the game. Richards later scored on a wild pitch and Cameron Whitehead capped the four-run inning with an RBI-double to give Furman a 7-5 lead.
After ETSU (30-29) sliced the lead to one in the top of the eighth, Furman again responded in the bottom half with another run-scoring single up the middle by Richards.
In the ninth, Cook led off with a single before Billy Greenfield retired ETSU's No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters to secure the win. Greenfield, who came on in the eighth with a man on and nobody out, worked two scoreless innings for his third save.
Hawkins (3-3) allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits in two innings for the win. Crawford made his best pitching start of the season, allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits in five innings. The trio combined for eight strikeouts and one walk.
"Jake Crawford stepped up and gave us big innings and our relievers pitched well," Harker said. "I can't say enough about Billy Greenfield. That's some of the biggest outs in 10 or 15 years for Furman baseball."
Overton, Richards and Bret Huebner had two hits apiece to account for 75 percent of Furman's hits.
Moving forward to Sunday, the question becomes who takes the hill for Furman. Through the Paladins first four tournament games, only Greenfield, Hawkins, Nolan Mullen and starting ace Will Gaddis have pitched in relief. While there are fresh arms available, many are inexperienced. At least one or two possibly unexpected pitchers could have to step up against UNCG's formidable lineup.
"I've got to sit down, regroup ... and figure out what we have available," Harker said. "But I'll tell you, if we've got 15 guys that can pitch on our roster, all 15 guys want the ball tomorrow."

UNC Greensboro outslugs Furman at SoCon Tournament

In the first two days of the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament, Furman jumped on top early in recording a pair of wins. In a winner's bracket game Saturday, UNC Greensboro turned the tables on the Paladins. The Spartans led 6-0 after two innings and held on for a 12-8 win to take the wheel of the tournament driver's seat.
The victory advanced third-seeded UNCG (34-21) to Sunday's championship. Furman will have to play again Saturday night to try to stay alive and set up a rematch with UNCG. The Paladins (31-27) will face the survivor of a loser's bracket game between sixth-seeded Samford and seventh-seeded ETSU.
UNCG leadoff man Ben Spitznagel, who's tortured Furman throughout his career, lined Matthew Quarles' first pitch to right for a single. Tripp Shelton deposited the next pitch over the left-centerfield wall and the Spartans led 2-0 two pitches in.
UNCG sent eight men to the plate in the next inning. Shelton capped the four-run frame with a two-run single.
Furman began to chip away in the middle innings. Jason Costa hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Cameron Whitehead got a wind-assisted two-run homer in the fifth to cut the lead to 6-4.
The wind was blowing the same way in the bottom of the fifth though, and helped UNCG answer on a two-run homer by Andrew Moritz. Billy Greenfield came on in relief of Quarles later in the inning and allowed a run-scoring hit off the Green Monster. Carter Grote threw out Caleb Webster trying to stretch it into a double to end the inning.
A four-run seventh got the Paladins right back in it. Sky Overton had a run-scoring bunt single, Carter Grote walked with the bases loaded, Landon Kay had a run-scoring groundout and a bases-loaded passed ball cut UNCG's lead to 9-8.
After pulling to within one, Furman turned the ball over to ace pitcher Will Gaddis. Gaddis, who threw just 57 pitches in his start Wednesday, held the Spartans in check until a three-run eighth inning. UNCG got a bases-loaded groundout for one run and two more runs thanks to an error on a grounder that would've ended the inning.
Furman's best chance to score after the sixth came in the eighth when the Paladins loaded the bases. UNCG reliever Jack Maynard struck out Jason Costa though to end the threat. Maynard allowed just one single and no runs in the final 3 2/3 innings to record his third save.
Quarles (6-5) allowed nine earned runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings to suffer the loss.
Jake Crawford had three hits to lead Furman, which collected 13 hits pushing its tournament total to 47 hits in three games.
Spitznagel, Shelton and Webster each had three hits for the Spartans.

Schuermann pitches Furman past top-seeded Mercer

The Southern Conference's best one-two punch over the final month of the regular season doesn't appear to be slowing down in the postseason. Furman left-hander Grant Schuermann held the SoCon regular season champions to one unearned run over eight innings as the Paladins defeated Mercer 6-1 Thursday in the SoCon Tournament at Fluor Field.
With its second victory in as many days, fourth-seeded Furman doesn't play again until noon Saturday. The Paladins will face the winner of Friday's noon game between No. 3 seed UNC Greensboro and No. 7 seed ETSU.
The day after Will Gaddis won for the seventh time in his last seven appearances, Schuermann extended his streak of not an allowing an earned run to 26 consecutive innings. It was a gutsy performance by Schuermann, who threw a career-high 121 pitches. He scattered nine hits over his eight innings and worked out of several jams to keep the top-seeded Bears (39-16) in check.
"He's got a knack for making a big pitch at a big time for us. None bigger than how he did tonight," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "That's the best outing of his career. ... It was a lot of fun to watch.
"I'm proud of our boys. That's one of the biggest games we've had at Furman in quite some time."
For the second day in a row, a Paladin starter had a nice early cushion to work with as Furman scored four runs in the top of the second. Landon Kay led off the frame with a no-doubt home run, his 11th this season.
One out later, the Paladins (31-26) strung together five consecutive singles. Jake Crawford bounced a groundball past second to score two runs before Sky Overton's groundball single to left made it 4-0 Furman.
Mercer reliever Carter Varga came on in the fourth and struck out the first two hitters before the Paladins got three singles in a row, capped by Carter Grote's run-scoring hit to push the lead to 5-0.
The Bears lone run came in the fifth on a run-scoring groundout that would've been the third out if not for Furman's only error, which opened the inning.
Much like in the fourth, the first two Furman batters in the seventh struck out before three consecutive singles and Mercer's lone error sent home the final run.
Clutch hitting proved to be a key storyline in the game. Furman went 10-for-19 batting with two outs, while Mercer was 1-of-9. With runners in scoring position, the Paladins were 5-for-14, while the Bears went 1-for-12.
Overton and Jason Costa each had three hits to lead Furman, which put up 17 hits and now has 34 in 15 innings at-bat at the tournament.
"I can live with us getting 17 hits every night," Harker said.
Schuermann (7-4) allowed no walks and had five strikeouts. He has 40 strikeouts and one walk over his last seven starts. Over his last five starts, Schuermann has allowed three earned runs in 38 innings (0.71 ERA).
"He's went seven outings with one walk combined and when you do that, you're going to make guys earn every single run they score," Harker said. "If Gaddis is A1, he's A2. ... He's just been special."
As a result of the two wins, Furman gets a day off Friday. Thanks to outstanding starting pitching and hitting, the Paladins have only used three relievers thus far and those three have only worked one inning apiece.
"We feel like we're in a good position. We've got (Matthew) Quarles going Saturday and we feel really good about him," Harker said. "And Gaddis threw 57 pitches (Wednesday), so we feel really good about him (pitching again) as well."

Paladins roll over Wofford in SoCon Tournament opener

Furman ace pitcher Will Gaddis has played a starring role in quite a few two-hour baseball games during his college career. But Wednesday's game, which lasted just 1:58, took a different course.
Instead of a tight pitching duel, Gaddis got plenty of offensive support as the fourth-seeded Paladins defeated No. 5 seed Wofford 13-3 in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament at Fluor Field. The game went just seven innings as the SoCon Tournament's mercy rule came into play.
Furman advances to face top-seeded Mercer at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, while Wofford is scheduled to face VMI in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday's game could not have been scripted any better for the Paladins (30-26). Furman did all of its scoring in the first four innings giving coach Brett Harker the peace of mind to pull Gaddis after just five innings.
"We knew we wanted Will out there for five (innings), to get the win. Then it became 'how do I manage his pitch count for a potential championship game,' " Harker said. "That was just another average Will outing, and his average is pretty good."
Gaddis needed just 57 pitches, including 42 strikes, to get through those five innings and he should be good to go if the Paladins reach Sunday's final. Gaddis (9-3) allowed one run on three hits, with no walks and four strikeouts.
It was a different story for Wofford ace Adam Scott (6-6), who allowed just two runs in seven innings of work in his start against Furman in the regular season.
Harker tweaked the Paladins' lineup a bit Wednesday and it immediately paid off. New leadoff man Sky Overton singled to open the first inning. After a Carter Grote single, Landon Kay doubled to right to put Furman ahead 1-0. Cameron Whitehead then hit a majestic home run that landed on the awning just underneath the G and R of the "GREENVILLE DRIVE" sign atop the brick building beyond the Green Monster in left field. Whitehead's shot, estimated at 440 feet, made it 4-0. It's the ninth homer in the last 24 games for Whitehead, who leads the team with 12 total.
"I think that was the best (home run) I've ever had and probably in one of the bigger situations," Whitehead said. "Guys were hitting them up on that roof during last year's tournament and I was thinking, 'wow, how did they do that?' Now I've got one too, so that's pretty cool."
An inning later, Carter Grote just missed a home run as his drive hit near the top of the Green Monster. His RBI-double pushed the lead to 5-0.
Smallball lead to big numbers in the fourth as Furman put the game out of reach with an eight-run inning. Jake Crawford had a swinging bunt to lead off the inning before Overton and Jabari Richards followed with bunt singles. A run-scoring error and RBI-singles by Grote and Kay chased Scott.
Sims Griffith had an RBI-bunt single with the bases loaded before Bret Huebner hit an RBI-single and another run came home on a wild pitch. Overton capped the offensive uprising with his second hit of the inning, a two-single to make it 13-1.
Overton and Grote each went 3-for-3 to lead the Paladins, who piled up 17 hits in their six innings of batting.
Kody Ruedisili went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and McClain Bradley hit a two-run homer, his eighth, to lead the Terriers (28-29).

Grote epitomizes how baseball should be played

Furman's Carter Grote makes a diving catch.
Photo courtesy: Furman University

I don't think I could have a proper Furman baseball blog without writing something about senior leftfielder Carter Grote. I figured a prelude to the Southern Conference Tournament would be as good a time as any.
My friend and former Greenville News' colleague Manie Robinson beat me to it though:
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/sports/college/furman/2017/05/22/college-baseball-socon-tournament-greenville-furman-paladins/335698001/
Manie's terrific story offers insight from Grote and coach Brett Harker about what even casual Furman baseball fans the past few years have noticed - whether it's batting, fielding or running the bases, Grote plays the game the way it's meant to be played.
More on that in a minute.
There's been plenty of fun things to see for fans of the Paladins (29-26) this season as the team went 18-6 in their last 24 regular season games to secure a winning record in Harker's first year.
Brandon Elmy came back from an injury-shortened 2016 season to hit .341 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs. After hitting .212 last season, Landon Kay leads Furman with a .344 average to go along with 10 homers and 33 RBIs.
Senior catcher Cameron Whitehead is the third Paladin with double figure homers (11). Whitehead has been on fire down the stretch to raise his average to .300, and he's driven in 30 runs. Meanwhile, opposing baserunners continue to try to run on Whitehead for some reason. He's thrown out 16 of 37 runners trying to steal after throwing out 14 of 25 last season.
Starting pitching has excelled in the second half, led by junior Will Gaddis. After winning 2016 SoCon Pitcher of the Year honors with a 3.45 ERA last season, Gaddis has posted a 1.88 ERA this year. Among pitchers who've thrown at least 88 innings this season, Gaddis' ERA ranks seventh-best in Division I.
Left-handed starter Grant Schuermann has put up an 0.90 ERA over his last four starts and a 35-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last six.
Then there's Grote.
Sure, he's batting .336 with eight home runs, while leading the team in doubles (15), triples (5), RBIs (52), total bases (125), walks (26), on-base percentage (.425), fielding (0 errors) and outfield assists (6). He's also the only Paladin who's started all 55 games.
But it's the way Grote's gone about amassing those numbers that is truly special. In nearly 40 years of following Furman athletics, I can't recall anyone in any sport that's played harder than Grote has every time he's on the field.
One play this season perfectly sums up the effort Grote always puts forth.
On April 29, Furman trailed Citadel 1-0 with one out in the first when Grote hit a routine groundball to short. I never noticed the slightest bobble the Citadel shortstop had fielding it, but I did see Grote fly down the line to barely beat the throw to first. After what should've been the third out, Elmy and Kay hit back-to-back singles and Grote came home with the first of Furman's 19 runs that day.
What's all the more remarkable about what Grote has accomplished in his four seasons is the humble entrance he made into college baseball. I'll never forget the way former coach Ron Smith talked about Grote during his freshman season.
After Greg Harrison, Furman's top hitter in 2014, was suspended along with Smith for a game following an ejection the night before, Grote entered the starting lineup for a Saturday game at then-first place Western Carolina. Grote went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in the Paladins' 9-6 win, including an RBI-single in a three-run ninth inning.
This was what Smith said about Grote following that series' win:
“He had gotten two at-bats on Friday and hit the ball hard twice. On Sunday, we  got him out there in left field and he went 1-for-3 and hit the ball hard one other time. He made two sparkling defensive plays, so he really gave us a lift this weekend.
“This from a guy who was an absolute walk-on tryout. He just hit his way onto the team in the fall and has worked very, very hard.”

Grote is living proof that hard work pays off, sometimes in unimaginable ways.

On March 15, 2016, Grote played a big part of one of the most historic nights in Furman sports history. Nobody knew what was to come that night when the Furman men's basketball team hosted Louisiana-Monroe in the CIT, while the Paladins' baseball team hosted College of Charleston.

After Daniel Fowler hit an off-balance, buzzer-beating jumper in the basketball team's 58-57 win, I left Timmons Arena and made my way across campus to Latham Stadium.

I got there just as Charleston scored in the top of the ninth to snap a 6-6 tie. In the bottom of the ninth, Sims Griffith and Jabari Richards reached before Grote deposited a 1-2 pitch over the left-centerfield fence for a walk-off homer in Furman's 9-7 win.

The next morning, replays of Fowler and Grote's heroics were shown on ESPN. After the highlights, there was Fowler and Grote live on my television screen being interviewed by ESPN anchors about their feats the night before.

I have a six-year-old son and my dream is that some day he's drafted by the Cleveland Indians - preferably high enough to buy his mommy and daddy a new house immediately after signing. But I digress. I don't want to be one of "those" parents.

No matter what dream my son decides to pursue someday, I simply hope that he will chase it just as Carter Grote would.

Gaddis, Elmy, Grote and Love earn All-Socon honors

Four Paladins Garner All-SoCon Honors: Four Furman Paladins have been named All-Southern Conference in voting by league head coaches and media, it was announced today.

Paladins fall in regular season finale

A day after being shut out, Belmont scored in five of its eight innings at bat Saturday as the Bruins topped Furman 9-5 in a rain-shortened eight-inning game in Nashville. The Paladins finish the regular season at 29-26, including a record of 18-6 since April 12.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, Furman came back in the second. Sims Griffith hit a two-run single and Jake Crawford's sac fly put the Paladins in front 3-2.
An inning later, Nick Egli's 16th home run this season put the Bruins back ahead for good. Egli finished with two hits, two runs and two RBIs, while Matt Cogen added two hits and three RBIs to lead Belmont (28-27), which avoided the series sweep with the win.
Furman starter Matthew Quarles allowed five runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss. Quarles (6-4) had four walks and four strikeouts.
Crawford went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead Furman. Carter Grote, Jason Costa and Griffith also had two hits apiece for the Paladins.
Next up for Furman is the Southern Conference Tournament, which begins with the 8/9 play-in game Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Greenville's Fluor Field.
As a result of UNC Greensboro's 14-7 win at Samford Saturday, UNCG tied Furman for third place in the SoCon at 14-10. The Spartans earned the tournament's third seed by winning the head-to-head tie-breaker with the Paladins.
Fourth-seeded Furman will face fifth-seeded Wofford Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Furman clinches sixth straight series win

Furman used a big ninth inning and more brilliant pitching by its top two starters to clinch its sixth consecutive series win Friday. Grant Schuermann and Will Gaddis combined on a shutout as the Paladins defeated Belmont 6-0.
The game was scoreless until the ninth when Furman (29-25) broke through in a big way. Landon Kay and Cameron Whitehead had one-out walks then pulled off a double steal. They scored on an RBI-single by Sims Griffith and a run-scoring groundball by Bret Huebner. Jabari Richards added an RBI-single before Carter Grote capped the inning with a three-run home run.
Furman ace Will Gaddis, who made his second career relief appearance when he entered in the eighth, struck out a pair of batters in a 1-2-3 ninth to end the game. Gaddis (8-3) had his weekend starting turn skipped in preparation for next week's Southern Conference Tournament.
Schuermann started Friday's game and, for the second week in a row, worked seven scoreless innings. In his last four starts, Schuermann has allowed three earned runs in 30 innings (0.90). Schuermann scattered six hits, struck out four and had one walk - his first free pass since April 8. Over his last six starts (42 2/3 innings), Schuermann has 35 strikeouts and one walk.
Ben Kocher went 3-for-3 to lead the Bruins (27-27), who didn't have an extra-base hit.
Furman goes for the road series sweep in the regular season finale Saturday at 2 p.m.
Scoreboard watching: Western Carolina defeated Mercer 3-2 Friday, while Samford topped UNC Greensboro 7-1. Those two results secured a second-place finish in the SoCon for Western Carolina (15-8 league record). Furman (14-10) slid into third place, a half-game ahead of UNCG (13-10).
A UNCG win Saturday at Samford would give the Spartans the third-place seed in the SoCon Tournament as a result of holding the tie-breaker advantage over the Paladins.

Elmy pushes Paladins past Belmont

Brandon Elmy's run-scoring double in the ninth inning snapped a tie and Furman held on for a 6-5 win over Belmont Thursday in Nashville. Prior to Thursday, the Paladins had been 0-23 in games in which it trailed or was tied after eight innings.
Furman (28-25) trailed 3-0 through five innings before breaking through with a big sixth inning. The Paladins got on the board thanks to back-to-back run-scoring bunt singles by Sims Griffith and Bret Huebner. After a sacrifice bunt, Jabari Richards homered the opposite way staking Furman to a 5-3 lead.
The Bruins (27-26) came back to tie it with single runs in the sixth and eighth innings.
After Sky Overton led off the ninth with a single on an 0-2 pitch, Elmy doubled down the right-field line sending Overton home with the go-ahead run.
Heath Hawkins came on and collected two strikeouts in a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his second save. Nolan Mullen got his first win of the year without retiring a batter. Mullen entered with a man on first and two out in the eighth. On Mullen's second pitch, Furman catcher Cameron Whitehead threw out Belmont's Chas Hadden trying to steal second to end the inning.
Jabari Richards had three hits to lead Furman's 14-hit effort.
The Paladins and Belmont play game two of the three-game series Friday at 6 p.m.
Scoreboard watching: While Furman has wrapped up Southern Conference play with a record of 14-10, the Paladins final standing and SoCon Tournament seeding will be finalized by other conference games this week.
Mercer, which has already locked up the regular season title and top seed, fell to Western Carolina 8-2 Thursday. That moved the Catamounts into second place at 14-8. UNC Greensboro fell 4-0 at Samford to drop to third place at 13-9, just percentage points ahead of fourth-place Furman. Wofford's 1-0 loss at The Citadel Thursday assured the Paladins of at least a fourth-place finish as the Terriers dropped to 11-11.
Furman can finish anywhere from second to fourth place in the SoCon. For tie-breaking purposes, the Paladins swept Western Carolina and were swept by UNCG.
In the event of a three-way tie for second place between Furman, UNCG and Western Carolina, teams would be seeded based on the record against each other. In that case, UNCG would be the No. 2 seed at 5-1, Furman would be the No. 3 seed at 3-3, and Western Carolina would be the No. 4 seed at 1-5.

Game 52: Georgia 10, Furman 6

Georgia rode a six-run fifth inning to a 10-6 win over Furman Tuesday in Athens, Ga.
Furman jumped out on top with RBI-singles by Brandon Elmy and Sims Griffith in the first inning. The Paladins pushed their lead to 4-1 in the third on an RBI-groundout by Griffith and a run-scoring single by Cameron Whitehead.
Georgia (23-30) answered on Mitchell Webb's two-run triple in the third before taking the lead for good in the fifth. It appeared that Furman would escape a bases-loaded jam with nobody scoring in the fifth, but a ball hit to Elmy at first base for what would've been the third out was misplayed and somehow ruled a single.
Georgia's Will Proctor followed with a two-run single before the Bulldogs' No. 9 hitter, Tucker Maxwell, launched with a three-run home run to cap the inning and give Georgia a 9-4 lead.
Whitehead went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead Furman (27-25).
Tucker Bradley and Cam Shepherd each had three hits for the Bulldogs.
The Paladins close out the regular season with a trip to Nashville for a three-game series at Belmont beginning Thursday at 6 p.m.
With Belmont being a non-conference series, Furman has shaken up its weekend rotation. Jake Crawford will start Thursday's game, followed by Grant Schuermann Friday and Matthew Quarles on Saturday.
The Paladins will be doing some scoreboard watching as the final weekend of Southern Conference play will determine where Furman finishes. The Paladins are currently in fourth place in the league at 14-10, but can finish anywhere from second to fourth - and could be seeded anywhere from second to fifth in the SoCon Tournament.
The tournament begins Tuesday at Greenville's Fluor Field, with Furman's first game coming Wednesday.

Furman's Gaddis Named SoCon Pitcher Of The Week

Furman's Gaddis Named SoCon Pitcher Of The Week: Furman junior right-hander Will Gaddis has been named Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week, the league announced Monday.

Paladins suffers sour end to SoCon regular season

Baseball seasons are filled with ups and downs. For Furman this year, it's been a gigantic roller coaster. Sunday's Southern Conference regular season finale symbolized that perfectly.
When Furman put seven runs up in the first inning Sunday against VMI, it appeared the Paladins were on their way to their fourth sweep in the past five SoCon series. A win Sunday would've made Furman 17-3 in its last 20 games following a 3-17 showing in the previous 20 games.
But it was not to be.
While two VMI relievers shut out the Paladins over the final 12 2/3 innings, the Keydets chipped away and pulled out a stunning 9-7 win in 13 innings.
Carter Grote began Furman's big opening inning with a one-out double. After each of his teammates that followed all reached, Grote made the second out of the inning on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-0. Brandon Elmy belted a three-run home run for his team-leading 11th round tripper this season. Cameron Whitehead had an RBI-single and Bret Huebner hit a two-run double also in the first.
But that was it for Furman's offensive day. VMI's Matthew Eagle allowed five hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings, before Ryan Bennett (5-0) gave up three hits in seven scoreless innings to earn the win.
Furman senior Matthew Quarles looked to close out his home career with a win, but pitched in and out of trouble over his five innings of work. Despite allowing eight hits and four walks, Quarles limited the Keydets to three runs and left with a 7-3 lead after five innings.
Tyler Kimbrell, who had allowed just one earned run over his last 11 innings since March 8, came on in relief and worked an easy 1-2-3 sixth inning. It was a different story in the seventh though as VMI rallied for four runs. Jake Huggins capped it with a game-tying three-run homer.
Despite blowing the big lead, it appeared that Furman was still destined to win. That was especially the case when VMI left two runners on the ninth, then left the bases loaded in the 10th, 11th and 12th innings without scoring. The Keydets (21-29, 7-14), who had 19 hits, drew 11 walks and stranded 21 baserunners, finally broke through again with two runs in the 13th thanks in part to Furman's first two errors of the game.
The Paladins could not take advantage of its chances as VMI committed all four of its errors over the final four innings. A pair of errors and a walk loaded the bases for Furman in the bottom of the 13th, but Bennett got Sims Griffith to bounce into a double play to end the game.
The sour taste from Sunday's loss shouldn't spoil the remarkable turnaround the Paladins made in SoCon play. After a 1-8 start in the conference, Furman finished at 14-10. The Paladins (27-24) are currently in fourth place in the SoCon, but can finish anywhere from second to fourth. While Furman has completed conference play, every other SoCon team has one league series left.
The Paladins return to action Tuesday at Georgia at 6 p.m.

Paladins stay perfect in doubleheaders

Grant Schuermann and Will Gaddis combined to toss 15 shutout innings Saturday to help keep Furman perfect in doubleheaders this season. The Paladins defeated VMI 4-1 and 8-2 to improve to 6-0 in twin bills.
Furman improved to 27-23 overall and moved to third place in the Southern Conference standings at 14-9. It's the fifth consecutive Southern Conference series win for Furman, who will go for its fourth sweep in those five series Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
Game 1 - Furman 4, VMI 1
Schuermann posted his third consecutive outstanding start to lead Furman to a win in the opener Saturday. Schuermann (6-4) allowed three hits and no walks in seven scoreless innings and tallied a season-high eight strikeouts.
Over his last three starts, Schuermann has allowed three earned runs over 23 innings. Schuermann has 31 strikeouts and no walks over his last five starts (35 2/3 innings).
VMI ace Josh Widner, who entered Saturday with 100 strikeouts and 16 walks in 89 innings this season, matched Schuermann for the first six innings.
Furman finally broke through when Landon Kay blasted a two-run home run in the seventh. It's the 10th homer of the season for Kay and sixth in his last eight games. The Paladins added two more runs in the seventh on an RBI-double by Bret Huebner and an RBI-single by Jabari Richards.
Josh Hollifield had all of the Keydets' offense with his first collegiate homer in the eighth.
Game 2 - Furman 8, VMI 2
Gaddis cruised through eight scoreless innings to record his fifth consecutive win and lower his SoCon-best ERA to 1.92, capping the doubleheader sweep in a game that took 2:05. Gaddis (7-3) allowed four hits - all singles, one walk and struck out six.
The Paladins took a 3-0 lead in the third after four consecutive two-out hits. Cam Whitehead started the scoring with a home run. After a Bret Huebner singled, Jake Crawford doubled him home. Jabari Richards' single scored Crawford.
After Kay led off the sixth with a double, Whitehead homered again to push Furman's lead to 5-0. That pulled Whitehead into a tie with Kay and Brandon Elmy for the team lead in homers (10).
Crawford capped the scoring with a three-run homer in the eighth.
Kay went 3-for-4 to lead a Furman offense that piled up 14 hits.
In the ninth, Matt Pita tripled and Tyler Tharp followed with his 16th home run to account for the scoring for VMI (20-29, 6-14).
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Paladins continue to help fight pediatric cancer

Furman players get their heads shaved Tuesday night at Fluor Field.

As sports fans, it's easy to become completely wrapped up in the wins and losses on the field. Each year, the Furman baseball team participates in an event that helps remind us that there are much more important things in life.
That was exemplified once again Tuesday night when the tradition continued at Fluor Field. While they had just wrapped up a tough loss to Clemson, the Paladins' tensions mellowed as they gathered atop their dugout. As players and coaches sat back in barber chairs, smiles, chatter and laughter began as family and friends watched the team go through its annual head shaving.
As has been the case for the past several seasons, this was all in support of a great cause. Furman is among many college baseball teams all over the country that have raised thousands of dollars over the years for the Vs. Cancer Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping fight childhood cancer.
The Paladins have ranked among the top fundraising teams over the years and this season is no different. As of Wednesday, Furman efforts totaled $14,291, surpassing the original goal of $10,000.
Stylists from Great Clips and SportsClips were on hand to do the shaving Tuesday night.
Half of all proceeds raised from Vs. Cancer head-shaving events goes to a local childhood cancer hospital. The other half funds research at the national level.
While the Paladins' early summer haircuts are done, their fund-raising efforts continue. Donations can be made online here: Furman's Vs. Cancer fundraising page.

Furman falls to Clemson at Fluor Field

Furman hosts Clemson at Fluor Field Tuesday night.

As the calendar inches closer to the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament, Furman's search for a fourth starter continued Tuesday night at the home of the tournament. Seventh-ranked Clemson jumped on top early and went on to a 10-5 win at Fluor Field.

The final tally saddled Furman (25-23) with back-to-back losses for the first time since April 11. While the Paladins have still won 14 of their last 17 games, it's the third midweek game in a row that Furman's starter has been hit hard early.

Clemson (37-12) took the lead right off the bat Tuesday as Logan Davidson belted a leadoff homer. While the Tigers didn't hit another longball the rest of the night, they piled up a total of 15 hits and held a 9-2 lead by the fifth inning.

Clemson led 10-2 in the sixth when Furman rallied a bit. Brandon Elmy led off the bottom of the inning with his team-high 10th home run. Landon Kay singled and Cameron Whitehead doubled before an error allowed two runs to score cutting the lead in half. With two on and one out, Clemson reliever Owen Griffith came on and got Jabari Richards to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Griffith and Jeremy Beasley shut out Furman the rest of the way, preserving the win for Clemson starter Tyler Jackson (8-1). Jackson allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits, one walk and four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Furman starter Jake Crawford (1-4) gave up three runs in his only inning of work to take the loss.

Elmy and Landon Kay, who hit his ninth homer, led the Paladins with two hits apiece.

Furman returns to action this weekend, wrapping up the SoCon - and home - portion of its schedule with a series against VMI. Game one Friday is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

The Paladins enter the series in fourth place in the SoCon with a record of 12-9. Western Carolina (13-8) and UNC Greensboro (11-7) sit slightly ahead of Furman, while Wofford (10-8) is just behind in the standings. The Paladins are trying to finish above third in the SoCon for the first time since winning the league championship in 1976.

Samford ends Furman's 11-game SoCon winning streak

All it took to end Furman's 11-game Southern Conference winning streak was the league's top closer working twice as long as he had all year Sunday. Samford standout reliever Wyatt Burns tossed six scoreless innings as the Bulldogs rallied for a 4-3 win.
Samford's win denied the Paladins' bid for a fourth consecutive SoCon series sweep.
Things looked good early on for Furman (25-22, 12-9) as Jake Crawford hit a two-out, RBI-single in the second. With two out in the third, Brandon Elmy hit an RBI-double and Landon Kay followed with an RBI-single to stake the Paladins to a 3-0 lead.
When the Paladins came to bat in the fourth they were greeted by Burns, who leads the SoCon in saves with 12. Burns allowed a pair of one-out singles, but got out of the jam and Samford rallied in the bottom of the inning.
With one out in the fourth, Austin Edens hit his ninth home run. After a single and a walk, Ayrton Schafer belted his eighth homer to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead.
Burns made the lead hold up, allowing only two more hits the rest of the way. One of those was a double by Jabari Richards in the ninth. Sky Overton was hit by a pitch with two out, putting two men on for Brandon Elmy. Elmy hit a rocket right at Samford third baseman Taylor Garris who made the catch to end the game.
Burns (4-0), who's longest outing this year prior to Sunday was three innings, had no walks and two strikeouts. Burns, who threw 63 of his 80 pitches for strikes, has won or saved 59.3 percent of the wins for Samford (27-21, 8-10) this season.
Troy Dixon went 3-for-3 to lead the Bulldogs.
Matthew Quarles (6-3) allowed four runs on six his in 6 1/3 innings for Furman. Richards went 3-for-5 for Furman, which stranded 10 baserunners and failed to take advantage of three Samford errors.
The Paladins return to action Tuesday when they take on Clemson at Fluor Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Schuermann, Gaddis toss complete games in Furman's doubleheader sweep

After a historic night of offense in its previous game Wednesday, Furman followed with possibly a historic pitching performance on Saturday at Samford. Grant Schuermann and Will Gaddis each threw completes games as the Paladins swept a doubleheader. It's believed to be the first time in school history that two pitchers each completed nine-inning games in a doubleheader.
Schuermann needed just 92 pitches to win game one 3-2, while Gaddis needed just 96 for a 4-1 win in game two. Of the 188 combined pitches, 135 went for strikes. That's an average of less than three balls (2.94) thrown per inning.
It's the 11th consecutive Southern Conference win for Furman, who's won 14 of its last 15 games.
Game 1 - Furman 3, Samford 2
Catcher Cameron Whitehead provided all the offensive support Schuermann needed in the opening game, which lasted just 1:50. In the top of the fifth, Sims Griffith led off with a single and Whitehead followed with a home run to give the Paladins a 2-0 lead.
Schuermann who retired the first 10 Samford batters, gave up his first run in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out RBI-single by Samford's Anthony Mulrine.
Whitehead pushed the lead back to two his next time up when he slugged his eighth homer in the seventh. Samford answered in the bottom of the inning when Austin Edens led off with his eight homer.
Unfazed, Schuermann faced the minimum of batters the rest of the way. He allowed two runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Schuermann (5-4) induced 16 groundball outs.
Game 2 - Furman 4, Samford 1
Both teams played five scoreless innings before Carter Grote stroked a 1-2 pitch over the left-centerfield fence for his seventh home run in the sixth. Sky Overton followed with a single and steal before Brandon Elmy singled. Landon Kay's groundout scored Overton to make it 2-0.
Samford cut the lead in half when Troy Dixon homered on Gaddis' first pitch of the sixth.
Furman provided some breathing room for Gaddis in the next inning on an RBI-single by Grote and an RBI-double by Overton.
Gaddis retired the final 10 Samford batters in order for his fourth career complete game. Gaddis (6-3) allowed one run on four hits and one walk. He struck out six.
Grote went 3-for-5 to lead Furman (25-21, 12-8).
Branden Fryman, son of former Cleveland Indians' All-Star Travis Fryman, went 2-for-4 to account for half the hits for Samford (26-21, 7-10).
The Paladins go for their fourth straight SoCon series sweep Sunday at 2 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Paladins rout Gardner-Webb in record fashion

What a difference a week makes.
Facing the same Gardner-Webb team and starting pitcher Furman was blanked by seven days earlier, the Paladins avenged that 5-0 loss in historic fashion Wednesday. The friendly confines of Latham Stadium served as a launching pad as Furman shattered records in a 27-10 win.
One batter into the bottom of the fourth inning, every Furman starter already had a hit as the Paladins won for the 12th time in their last 13 games. Furman (23-21), which earlier this season went 33 innings without scoring a run, has scored 56 runs over its last 17 innings of batting.
Three school records were set Wednesday:

• Furman's 28 hits broke a record that had stood for more than a century. The Paladins had 27 hits in a 22-7 win over Presbyterian in 1915.
• The Paladins belted seven home runs topping the previous record of six set in a 13-9 win over Marshall 20 years ago.
• Furman's seventh home run of the night was hit by senior Carter Grote, who also broke the single-game record for hits with the round-tripper. Grote went 6-for-7 and posted career highs in RBIs (6) and runs (5).

The Paladins took a 3-0 lead after one inning before Gardner-Webb blasted three home runs in a six-run second inning. Furman responded with its version of home run derby in the bottom of the inning. After Sky Overton's three-run homer tied it, Brandon Elmy and Landon Kay made it back-to-back-to-back homers as the Paladins took an 8-6 lead.

That was just a sign of what was to come as Furman scored at least two runs in all but the fifth inning, when the Paladins were oddly enough retired in order on seven pitches. In the sixth, Elmy and Kay hit back-to-back homers again pushing the lead to 20-6. Over the last four games, Kay has hit a pair of homers in the same game twice.

Backup catcher John Michael Boswell belted his first career home run in the eighth, before Grote capped the offensive onslaught with a three-run homer.

Overton and Elmy each had five RBIs, while Jabari Richards, Overton, Elmy and Jake Crawford each scored four runs. Kay and Crawford added four hits apiece.

After Gardner-Webb's six-run second, Furman relievers Billy Greenfield (2-1), Heath Hawkins and Nolan Mullen shut out the Bulldogs (22-22) over the next 5 1/3 innings.

The 28-hit effort helped push Furman's team batting average to .314, which was tied for 12th-highest in Division I through Wednesday. The Paladins' .486 slugging percentage ranked 11th nationally.

Next up, Furman will carry its nine-game winning streak in Southern Conference play to Samford for a weekend series. Game one is scheduled to begin Friday at 7 p.m.

Game 43: Furman 13, The Citadel 1, 7 inn.

One day after piling up 19 runs against its biggest rival, Furman's offensive onslaught continued Sunday at Latham Stadium. The Paladins completed a sweep of The Citadel with a 13-1 win in a game shortened to seven innings by the Southern Conference's mercy rule for the final game of series.
It's the third consecutive SoCon series sweep by Furman (22-21, 10-8), who've won 11 of its last 12 games. The Paladins are back above .500 for the first time since a series win against North Carolina A&T March 17-19.
After batting around in the sixth and eighth innings Saturday, Furman sent every member of the lineup to the plate again in the second inning Sunday. With one out, eight consecutive Paladins reached base via hit or walk.
Cameron Whitehead opened the scoring with a two-run homer, his sixth. Carter Grote had a two-run double and Brandon Elmy capped the inning with a two-run single staking Furman to a 6-0 lead.
Jonathan Sabo homered the third for the Bulldogs (12-29, 3-12) before the Paladins dropped another hammer in the bottom of the inning. Jabari Richards belted a three-run homer and Brandon Elmy added his team-leading seventh homer. Elmy's two-run shot pushed the lead to 11-1.
Furman closed out the scoring in the fifth on a Richards' solo homer, his fifth, and a sac fly by Elmy.
That was plenty enough support for senior right-hander Matthew Quarles, who won his third consecutive start. Quarles allowed one run on three hits in six innings, moving into fourth place in school history with his 21st win. Quarles (5-2) allowed four walks and struck out eight.
Sky Overton went 3-for-3 to lead Furman's 16-hit attack. Five other Paladins had two hits, including Elmy and Richards who finished with five and four RBIs, respectively.
Furman returns to action Wednesday at home against Gardner-Webb. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Furman posts most lopsided win over Citadel in 91 years

Furman held a 3-2 lead over rival The Citadel through five innings Saturday at Latham Stadium. By the end of the game, those first five innings felt like they were played days earlier. The Paladins batted around in the sixth and eighth innings to roll to a 19-2 win.
After being denied what would've been its longest winning streak since 1926 with a loss Wednesday, Furman's output Saturday provided a nod back to that season. It was the most lopsided victory against Citadel since a 30-7 win that gave the Paladins a 12-0 start to the 1926 season.
More important to the present day, it's the eighth consecutive Southern Conference win for Furman (21-21, 9-8) and 10th win in its last 11 games.
After an adventurous first inning featuring errors by both teams, Furman held a 2-1 lead. All three runs were unearned. Both starters settled in as each allowed one run apiece over the next four innings.
In the bottom of sixth, Furman began turning a tight game into a rout. Landon Kay kicked off things by hitting the first pitch over the fence in center for a home run. After a Sims Griffith single and Cameron Whitehead double, Bret Huebner hit a two-run single chasing Citadel starter Will Abbott. Three more runs scored in the inning as the Paladins sent 12 batters to the plate to take a 9-2 lead.
Furman added two runs in the seventh before capping things off with an eight-run eighth in which 13 Paladins batted. The inning included a two-run homer by Kay, a three-run triple by Jake Crawford and RBI-singles for pinch-hitters Trent Alley and Logan Taplett.
Kay finished with a career-high four hits, including his fifth and sixth homers, and four RBIs. Whitehead also had four hits, including his fifth homer, and finished a triple away from hitting for the cycle.
Not to be overshadowed in the offensive onslaught was another strong pitching outing by Furman ace Will Gaddis. Gaddis (5-3) allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits over seven innings. He had one walk and six strikeouts.
Bryce Leasure went 2-for-4 with a double to lead the Bulldogs (12-28, 3-11).
Furman goes for its third consecutive SoCon sweep beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Game 41: Furman 4, The Citadel 2

Furman's Grant Schuermann pitched his best game of the season, outdueling dominant Citadel starter J.P. Sears Friday, as the Paladins rallied for a 4-2 win at Latham Stadium. After having its eight-game winning streak snapped Wednesday, Furman came back for its seventh straight Southern Conference win.
Sears entered the game with a SoCon-best 2.00 ERA and the third-most strikeouts (96) in the country. The Citadel staked Sears to a 2-0 lead Friday with two-out RBI-singles in the third and fourth innings.
In the bottom of the fourth, Carter Grote led off with the first home run allowed by Sears since March 10. Sky Overton followed with a triple and scored on Brandon Elmy's groundball to tie the game 2-2.
After Sears recorded the first two outs in the sixth, Landon Kay singled and Sims Griffith followed with a homer to left giving Furman a 4-2 lead.
Schuermann and relievers Heath Hawkins and Tyler Kimbrell made the lead hold up as Citadel had just one baserunner the rest of the way. Schuermann (4-4) allowed two runs, one earned, on nine hits over seven innings. He had no walks and five strikeouts.
Hawkins retired the Bulldogs in order in the eighth and Kimbrell did the same in the ninth. Kimbrell earned his first save in style, striking out a pair of batters to end the game.
Sears (4-2) allowed four runs on seven hits in seven innings, with one walk and six strikeouts. It's the most runs and fewest strikeouts Sears has posted in SoCon play. In his four other SoCon games this season, Sears allowed six runs combined and piled up a total of 53 strikeouts.
Jonathan Sabo went 3-for-4 with a run scored to lead Citadel (12-27, 3-10).
Overton and Jabari Richards each had two hits for the Paladins (20-21, 8-8), who won for the first time this season when scoring four runs or fewer. Furman had been 0-14 in those games.
The teams play game two of the series Saturday with a new scheduled start time of noon.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Miscues cost Paladins in loss at Gardner-Webb

Furman played some pretty outstanding baseball during its eight-game winning streak, none more so than a 12-1 win over UNC Asheville Tuesday. But in baseball, all the things you did well one day can reverse course the next.
Such was the case for Furman in Boiling Springs, N.C. Wednesday night. Miscues in the field and on the basepaths, combined with a quiet night offensively added up to a 5-0 win for Gardner-Webb.
The loss denied the Paladins' bid to become the program's first team to win nine consecutive games since 1926.
Looking to build starting pitching depth ahead of the Southern Conference Tournament, Furman coach Brett Harker called on sophomore Jake Crawford to make his first start this season. After struggling as a starter at the beginning of the 2016 season, Crawford shined in his role as closer by the end. Crawford did have a make a start in last year's SoCon Tournament and he delivered, holding Samford to two runs over eight innings.
An all-too familiar problem for Crawford this season plagued him in the first inning Wednesday.
After Gardner-Webb leadoff man Paul Trick singled on an 0-2 pitch, Crawford retired the next two batters before Collin Thacker belted a home run to left-center. A dropped infield pop-up by Dillon Love - who was playing third in place of Crawford - allowed the inning to continue. Chandler Redmond made Furman pay with another two-run homer to push Gardner-Webb's lead to 4-0. It's the sixth homer allowed by Crawford this season.
The next two batters reached as the Bulldogs batted around before Crawford got out of the jam.
Crawford (1-3) settled in and was able to go four innings for the Paladins (19-21), allowing just one man to reach after the first.
Meanwhile, Furman's offense couldn't scratch a run off Gardner-Webb freshman left-hander Isaac Campbell, who entered with an 8.80 ERA. Despite allowing four hits and three walks, with just one strikeout, over 5 2/3 innings, Campbell (1-4) blanked the Paladins.
Furman blew a chance to score in the third. With catcher Jason Costa on second, Love hit a groundball up the middle that trickled just a few inches off the glove of a diving Trick at short. Trick got up, recovered the ball and threw out Costa at the plate.
After two outs in the top of the sixth, Carter Grote walked and Sky Overton hit a bunt single. Brandon Elmy greeted Bulldog reliever Taylor Goodwin with a rocket to the deepest part of the park, but centerfielder Peyton McGuire made a running catch of it just before he hit the fence.
Gardner-Webb pushed across an insurance run in the eighth. With two out, a Paladin outfield collision on a fly pop to left extended the inning. The Bulldogs (21-19) went on to score on a bases-loaded walk.
The Paladins had runners on the corners with two out in the ninth and Sims Griffith was ahead 3-0 in the count. But on that third ball, Gardner-Webb catcher Justin Kunz fired to first and picked off Landon Kay to end the game.
Overton had half of the Paladins' six hits as he went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
Furman returns to SoCon action this weekend with a home series against rival The Citadel. Friday's opening game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Back in lineup, Kay helps Furman win 8th in a row

For baseball coaches, it must be very tempting to not dare tinker with the starting lineup of a team on a long winning streak. However, Furman coach Brett Harker made one change to his lineup for Tuesday's game against UNC Asheville and the Paladins didn't miss a beat - and didn't miss many baseballs either.

Furman piled up 17 hits and got solid pitching throughout in a 12-1 win at Latham Stadium. The Paladins (19-20) have won eight consecutive games for the first time since 2005.

The lineup change saw Landon Kay return after not having played in two weeks. Despite being one of the top hitters on the team this season, Kay was the odd man out in some lineup changes that helped spur Furman's turnaround from a nine-game losing streak.

Kay appeared to have not missed a beat Tuesday as he went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run.

Carter Grote staked the Paladins to a 1-0 lead in the first with a homer. Furman took command with a five-run fourth inning, highlight by Sky Overton's three-run homer. It was the fourth long ball this season for Kay, Grote and Overton.

Grote went 2-for-3 with two runs and 3 RBIs, while Overton had three hits, two runs and three RBIs. Jake Crawford went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs also for the Paladins.

Trent Alley (1-0) allowed one run on five hits in a season-high six innings to collect the win. Alley had one walk and four strikeouts. Furman relievers Tyler Kimbrell, Rutty Jones and Austin Wood blanked the Bulldogs (17-24) on one hit, and combined for no walks and four strikeouts, the rest of the way.

The Paladins travel to Gardner-Webb Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game. Crawford is expected to make his first pitching start of the season for Furman.

*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Furman sweeps doubleheader, series against ETSU

Furman got a pair of strong pitching performances and some offensive power from unexpected sources Saturday to claim both games of a doubleheader, 11-4 and 6-3, over ETSU. The doubleheader sweep gave Furman a Southern Conference series sweep for the second weekend in a row.
The Paladins (18-20, 7-8) have won seven consecutive games for the first time since 2005.
Game 2 - Furman 6, ETSU 3
Sophomore shortstop Bret Huebner went 3-for-3 and senior right-hander Matthew Quarles turned in another outstanding start in which he got stronger as the game went along as Furman completed the sweep.
A week after earning a complete game win at Western Carolina, Quarles worked eight innings Saturday. In last week's win, Quarles retired each of the final 15 batters. On Saturday, the Ninety Six native retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced. Quarles (5-2) allowed three runs on six hits with one walk and eight strikeouts for his 20th career win.
Over his last three starts, Quarles has 20 strikeouts and one walk in 22 1/3 innings.
Both teams traded runs in each of the first two innings before ETSU took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on an RBI-double by Hunter Parker.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Sims Griffith's home run tied the game 3-3. It was the junior's second homer this season and fifth of his career. Cam Whitehead and Huebner followed with singles, and Jake Crawford's groundball sent Whitehead home with the go-ahead run.
In the seventh, Carter Grote led off with his third homer pushing the Paladins advantage to 5-3.
An inning later, Huebner added another insurance run with the first homer of his collegiate career.
Billy Greenfield came on in relief of Quarles to start the ninth and needed just five pitches to retire the Buccaneers (19-18, 2-10) in order for his second save.
Game 1 - Furman 11, ETSU 4
Griffith had a career-high four hits and Whitehead had three hits and four RBIs as Furman cruised past ETSU in the opening game Saturday.
ETSU took a 2-0 lead six pitches into the game. After Bucs leadoff man Chris Cook hit a 1-2 pitch for a single, Aaron Maher lined Will Gaddis' next pitch for a triple and Hagen Owenby singled on the next pitch.
Gaddis' remaining 88 pitches went much better than the first six. Furman's ace allowed just those two runs on eight hits in seven innings of work. Gaddis (4-3) had no walks and four strikeouts.
After struggling with clutch hitting much of the season, Furman came up with some big hits in key spots to give Gaddis plenty of support.
In the bottom of the third, Jabari Richards singled and Carter Grote walked with one out. One out later, the Paladins strung together four consecutive run-scoring hits. Sky Overton and Brandon Elmy had RBI-singles, Griffith hit a two-run double down the left field line, and Whitehead capped the scoring with a two-run singles up the middle to give Furman a 5-2 lead.
Whitehead replicated that at-bat his next time up. With two out in the fifth, the senior catcher lined another groundball up the middle for two more runs to push the lead to 7-2.
The Paladins added two runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings. Ten of Furman's 11 runs scored with two out.
Next up for Furman is a pair of midweek games. The Paladins host UNC Asheville Tuesday at 6 p.m. and play at Gardner-Webb Wednesday at 7 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Griffith's walk-off single delivers Paladins' fifth straight win

With two out in the bottom of the 10th inning, Sims Griffith singled and Carter Grote raced home from second with the winning run as Furman defeated ETSU 9-8 Friday at Latham Stadium.
It's the fifth consecutive win for the Paladins (16-20, 5-8 Southern Conference).
During the previous four games of the win streak, Furman made just one error. It appeared the Paladins were set for another error-less game Friday before a mishap opened the door for ETSU to tie the game in the ninth.
With Furman clinging to an 8-7 lead, Heath Hawkins struck out the first two batters in the ninth. However, the second required a throw to first which sailed down the right-field line allowing Hagen Owenby to reach. The Buccaneers followed with back-to-back singles to tie the game.
Billy Greenfield (1-1) came on in relief and retired the next five batters, including a pair of strikeouts in the 10th, to set the stage for the Paladins' walk-off win.
Carter Grote led off the 10th with his fourth hit of the game and was sacrificed to second by Jason Costa. After Sky Overton was intentionally walked, Cam Whitehead struck out and Sims Griffith fell behind 0-2 before roping a single to left to end the game.
Griffith's clutch hit was a welcome sight after Furman stranded 13 baserunners in the game, including leaving the bases loaded in the second and seventh innings.
ETSU (19-16, 2-8) led 5-1 going into the bottom of the fifth before Whitehead blasted a home run to left to cut the lead in half.
The Paladins' rally carried over to the sixth. After Bret Huebner's one-out walk, Jake Crawford and Jabari Richards followed with back-to-back triples to tie the game. Grote gave Furman three extra-base hits in a row and a 6-5 lead with an RBI-double to left. One out later, Overton capped the four-run inning with an RBI-single.
Both teams scored single runs in the seventh before the Bucs had single runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
In addition to the four-hit games for Grote and Overton, Crawford had three hits in Furman's 16-hit effort.
Owenby, Chris Cook and Christian Bailey each had three hits and two RBIs for ETSU.
The teams wrap up the series Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

New lineup additions spur turnaround

Furman junior Jason Costa

Furman carries a four-game winning streak into its home weekend series against ETSU which begins Friday at 6 p.m. That streak came after a nine-game losing skid that included some stunning, heartbreaking losses during the toughest portion of the schedule.

While improvement has been seen in all phases of the game during the turnaround, specifically some Paladins looking to take command of a spot in Coach Brett Harker's lineup have done just that.

Hitting-wise, no one has done that quite like junior Jason Costa. Costa is in his first year at Furman from national JUCO power Walters State.

Even though Costa has started only 20 games, he ranks second on the team in batting (.333), home runs (4), slugging (.543) and on-base percentage (.426). Costa saw limited early playing time as the Paladins' backup catcher, but he's started each of the last 14 games splitting time as designated hitter and catcher.

"I challenge guys all the time telling them, 'they make the lineup, I don't,' and he's forced his way in," Harker said. "He's such a good leader of this team and that doesn't happen often in your first year coming from a junior college.

"He's got baseball savvy with a little bit of an old-school, blue-collar work ethic and boy, can he hit."

Costa's move to DH has shifted Jabari Richards back to the outfield, and the 2016 SoCon Freshman of the Year has rallied after a slow start this season in which he didn't start against left-handed pitchers.

Richards has started each of the last seven games and batted .357, with seven runs and four RBIs, raising his season average to .284. In Furman's most recent win Wednesday, Richards hit a long homer to centerfield off a Presbyterian left-hander.

"I think Jabari has his confidence back and that's when he's really dangerous," Harker said. "Last year, he was almost all the opposite field (hitting). This year, he can drive it to right field and that makes defense tough. He's learned to hit it where it's pitched."

While Furman has committed a SoCon-worst 47 errors this season, the Paladins have only made one during the four-game winning streak. Comparatively, Furman committed 15 errors during the nine-game losing streak, including 10 in the final three games of it.

The recent run of solid defensive play has coincided with Bret Huebner's return to the starting lineup at shortstop. While Furman is 15-20 overall (4-8 SoCon), the Paladins are 10-9 when Huebner has started at short. Huebner has also come through offensively of late as he's gone 5-of-11 with four runs and three RBIs over the last three games pushing his season average up to .266.

"All we've ever asked him is to make the routine play and give us a chance at the tough play ... along with things that are never going to show up in the boxscore, and he's done really well at those," Harker said.

While some lineup tweaks have provided a spark, season-long stalwarts such as Brandon Elmy and Carter Grote have remained hot during the turnaround. Elmy (.356/6/26) leads the Paladins in batting, homers, doubles (12) and slugging (.566), while Grote (.324/2/29) leads in RBIs, triples (5) and on-base percentage (.429).

*Photo provided by Furman University.

Paladins complete season sweep of Presbyterian

Six Furman batters had at least two hits as the Paladins completed a season sweep of Presbyterian with an 11-6 win Wednesday at Latham Stadium. Furman (15-20) knocked off the Blue Hose (20-19) in Clinton and at Fluor Field earlier this season.
Brandon Elmy's team-leading sixth home run gave Furman a 1-0 lead in the first. After PC tied it in the third, the Paladins responded in the bottom of the inning thanks to a two-run home run to center by Jabari Richards.
The Blue Hose answered right back in the fourth with a two-out rally. No. 9 hitter Brett Auckland hit a two-run double and Glen Casaceli followed with an RBI-single to give PC a 4-3 lead.
Furman, which scored in all but two innings, tied things up in the bottom of the inning. Sky Overton led off with a walk, advanced to third after a pair of wild pitches, and came home on Sims Griffith's sac fly.
The Paladins took the lead for good one inning later. Cameron Whitehead had a bases loaded single to break the tie and Bret Huebner's sac fly gave Furman a 6-4 lead.
A four-run seventh helped seal Furman's win. It was highlighted by Jake Crawford's two-run double.
After entering a 10-6 game with two on and two out in the eighth, Furman's Heath Hawkins struck out Casaceli to get out of the jam. Hawkins pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save.
Reliever Tyler Kimbrell (1-0), a junior formerly of Spartanburg Methodist, allowed one run on two hits over three innings for his first win as a Paladin.
The bottom third of Furman's lineup (Whitehead, Huebner and Crawford) combined to go 7-for-11 with four runs and five RBI. Whitehead had three hits to lead the Paladins' 14-hit attack and raise his batting average from .195 to .220.
Auckland went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs to lead the Blue Hose.
Furman returns to Southern Conference play this weekend when the Paladins host ETSU. First pitch of Friday's opening game of the series is scheduled for 6 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Quarles earns SoCon Pitcher of the Week

Coming off a complete game victory at Western Carolina, Furman's Matthew Quarles has been selected as the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week.
The senior from Ninety Six allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits as the Paladins completed a series sweep with a 5-2 win. It's the second complete game of the season for Quarles (4-2), who retired 15 consecutive batters to end Saturday's game.
It's the 19th career win for Quarles, which ranks fifth-most in school history.
In posting eight strikeouts and no walks Saturday, Quarles helped Furman's staff finish with 24 strikeouts and two walks in the three-game series.
Quarles is a math major who has a 3.80 GPA. He's made the SoCon's Academic Honor Roll each of his first three years.
Furman returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Presbyterian at 6 p.m.
The Paladins (14-20) will be going for their sixth consecutive victory over the Blue Hose (20-18), including third this season. Furman won 6-0 in Clinton and defeated PC 7-6 at Fluor Field earlier this season.
Freshman right-hander Trent Alley (0-0, 1.80 ERA) is expected to make his first career start for Furman.
*Photo courtesy of Furman University.

Quarles helps Paladins complete sweep at Western Carolina

Furman and Western Carolina entered their Southern Conference series heading in opposite directions. By the end of it, they'd seemingly swapped lanes.
Senior right-hander Matthew Quarles tossed a complete game as the Paladins finished off a sweep at Western Carolina with a 5-2 win Saturday.
While the Catamounts entered the series having won seven straight games, Furman was riding a nine-game losing streak. The sweep moved the Paladins to 11-2 in its last 13 games against WCU.
Quarles (4-2) allowed just one earned run on four hits in recording his second complete game of the season. Quarles had no walks and eight strikeouts, throwing 83 of his 127 pitches for strikes.
Furman jumped out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to a Jason Costa RBI-single and a Sky Overton sac fly in the first and a Carter Grote sac fly in the second.
Justin Sparks led off the Western Carolina fifth with a single. After an error sent Sparks to third, he scored on a groundout cutting Furman's lead to 4-2.
Sparks' hit turned out to be the last of the game for the Catamounts (16-18, 7-5) as Quarles retired 15 consecutive batters to end the game.
Costa, Jabari Richards and Bret Huebner each had two hits, while Costa also had two RBIs to lead the Paladins (14-20, 4-8).
Furman, which has played just four home games since March 20, plays nine of its next 10 games at Latham Stadium. That stretch begins Wednesday when the Paladins host Presbyterian at 6 p.m.

Furman clinches first SoCon series win

A day after snapping a nine-game losing streak, it appeared that the Furman baseball team might suffer another inexplicable loss like quite a few that were part of the skid. But after seeing a six-run lead disappear, the Paladins came back for its first extra innings win of the season.
Sky Overton's RBI-double in the 10th inning put Furman ahead, and Jake Crawford needed just eight pitches to retire Western Carolina in order in the bottom of the inning as the Paladins won 8-7. The victory clinched Furman's first Southern Conference series win of the season.
Furman (13-20, 3-8) has now won 10 of its last 12 games against the Catamounts (16-17, 7-4).
The Paladins jumped on top in the first inning when Carter Grote tripled and came home on a two-out single by Jason Costa. After WCU tied it in their half of the first, Furman came back with a pair of runs in the second on a sac fly by Jabari Richards and a run-scoring single by Grote.
Furman pushed its lead to 7-1 with a four-run sixth. Bret Huebner had an RBI-double, Richards hit another sac fly and Grote capped the inning with a two-run homer.
Furman left-handed starter Grant Schuermann was cruising along until a rain delay stopped play with one out in the top of the seventh. After a one hour, seven minute delay, the Catamounts came roaring back. Cameron Blaquiere's three-run homer in the seventh cut the Paladins' lead to 7-4.
WCU scored three in the ninth, capped by Matt Smith's two-out RBI single, to force extra innings.
While WCU was rallying, Furman's offense failed to score despite having a runner on third base and less than two outs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.
Brandon Elmy led off the 10th with a hustle double, took third on a sacrifice by Dillon Love, and scored on Overton's drive into the right-centerfield gap.
Grote, Elmy, Overton and Sims Griffith each had three hits to power Furman's 19-hit output. Smith had three hits to lead the Catamounts, who collected 16 hits.
The Paladins will try to complete the sweep Saturday at 2 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Paladins snap losing streak

In the weird, wonderful world of baseball, here's one out of left field: Furman snapped its longest losing streak in 13 years Friday after its ace pitcher allowed a career-high 13 hits.
Will Gaddis scattered those 13 hits over seven innings as the Paladins won 6-5 at Western Carolina. Gaddis (3-3) gave up four runs, walked one and struck out four as Furman ended a nine-game losing streak. The Paladins' win also snapped the Catamounts' seven-game winning streak.
Furman (12-20, 2-8 Southern Conference) trailed 2-0 in the fourth when Friday's designated hitter Jason Costa singled, stole second and took third on a passed ball. As part of a double steal, Costa stole home to cut the lead in half.
After Carter Grote and Brandon Elmy began the sixth inning with singles, Costa followed with a home run to put the Paladins ahead 5-2. In 17 starts and just 70 at-bats this season, Costa ranks second on the team in batting average (.343) and homers (4).
The Catamounts (16-16, 7-3) scored twice in the seventh inning to cut the lead to 5-4, but Costa helped Furman answer in the eighth. Costa drew a walk leading off the inning and later scored on Cameron Whitehead's sacrifice fly.
Western Carolina cut the lead to 6-5 in the ninth and had runners on first and third with two out. Furman's Jake Crawford got Andrew Bullock to line out to first to end the game and record his fourth save.
Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for Friday. First pitch shifted from 5 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. because of weather concerns.

Game 31: USC Upstate 14, Furman 7

Every Furman starter had a hit, including two apiece for the top five batters in the lineup, but it was not enough as USC Upstate defeated the Paladins 14-7 Tuesday at Latham Stadium. The Spartans (15-20) had just one extra-base hit, a double, but piled up 16 singles and took advantage of four Furman errors to get the win.
The Paladins (11-20) held a 7-6 lead after five innings before Upstate erupted with a five-run sixth. The Spartans sealed the win with three unearned runs in the ninth.
Upstate's sixth pitcher, Bryan Hathaway, shut out Furman over the final 4 1/3 innings to secure the win. Hathaway (2-2) allowed two hits, one walk and struck out three.
Leadoff man Devon Ortiz had four hits and four runs for the Spartans, while Charlie Carpenter had three hits, Brendan Brundage had three RBIs and Russel Schwertfeger scored three runs.
Brandon Elmy drove in three runs and Jabari Richards had three runs to lead the Paladins, who've lost nine straight games for the first time since 2004.
Things won't get any easier for Furman when it travels to Western Carolina for a three-game series beginning Thursday because of Easter Sunday. After being swept each of the past two weekends by Mercer (8-1 Southern Conference) and UNC Greensboro (7-2), the Paladins will be facing a Catamount squad that's also 7-2 in the SoCon.
First pitch Thursday is scheduled for 5 p.m.

UNCG completes sweep

Michael Goss and Caleb Webster each went 3-for-4 to power UNC Greensboro to a 9-3 win over Furman Sunday giving the Spartans a sweep of the series. It's the eighth consecutive loss for the Paladins, who fell to 11-19 overall and 1-8 in the Southern Conference.
Landon Kay's third home run gave Furman an early 1-0 lead before UNCG came back with a four-run fourth, highlighted by run-scoring hits from Goss and Webster and a two-run home run by Tripp Shelton.
Sky Overton and Sims Griffith had back-to-back RBI-singles in the sixth to cut the lead to 4-3, but the Spartans (21-10, 7-2) answered with another four-spot in the bottom of the inning. Goss and Webster had RBI-triples and Shelton followed with a sac fly.
Goss, Webster and Shelton, UNCG's 4-5-6 hitters, accounted for all nine RBIs and seven of the Spartans' 11 hits.
Matthew Quarles (3-2) allowed eight runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss. He had no walks and four strikeouts.
Saturday: UNCG 7, Furman 6, 11 inn.
Furman has had plenty of heartbreaking losses during its skid, including Saturday when the Paladins fell to 0-3 in extra innings this season. In each of the three games Furman has scored in the ninth and/or led in extra innings.
On Saturday, the game was tied 5-5 after six innings. Despite the Paladins getting leadoff doubles in the seventh and ninth innings, there was no more scoring until the 11th.
After Furman's Carter Grote singled leading off the 11th, he went to second on a sac bunt, took third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
The lead was short-lived as UNCG No. 9 hitter Ryne Sigmon sent Heath Hawkins' first pitch of the bottom of the inning over the rightfield fence for the lone homer of the game. Two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases before Webster ended the game with a walk-off sac fly.
Jabari Richards had three hits, while Grote had two hits, two RBIs and two runs to lead the Paladins.
Leadoff man Austin Embler had four hits and four runs scored for the Spartans.
Hawkins (2-3) took the loss despite pitching well in relief of Furman starter Grant Schuermann. Hawkins allowed two runs on four hits in four innings. He had one walk and four strikeouts. Schuermann gave up five runs, four earned, on 10 hits in six innings.
The Paladins play their first midweek home game since March 8 when USC Upstate visits Latham Stadium for a 6 p.m. game Tuesday. Furman defeated the Spartans 7-4 in Spartanburg earlier this season.

Paladins suffer another Friday loss

After back-to-back heartbreaking Friday losses in which big leads were blown late, Furman's offense was shut down Friday at UNC Greensboro. The Spartans' Bryce Hensley fired seven shutout innings as Furman fell 3-1.
It's the sixth consecutive loss for the Paladins (11-17, 1-6 Southern Conference), who fell to 2-6 in weekend series openers this year. Led by 2016 SoCon Pitcher of the Year Will Gaddis, Furman went 9-5 in series openers last season.
The Paladins wasted a terrific start by Gaddis Friday. Facing the top-hitting team in the nation (.338), Gaddis (2-3) allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits in seven innings. He had one walk and four strikeouts.
Furman's offense never really threatened Hensley (5-3), who allowed three hits and four walks. The Paladins snapped a 15-inning scoreless streak when Brandon Elmy led off the ninth with his fifth home run.
That was the lone hit allowed by UNCG reliever Andrew Wantz, who earned his third save.
Michael Goss had two hits and two RBIs, while Andrew Moritz had two hits and two runs scored to lead the Spartans (19-10, 5-2).
The teams play game two of the series Saturday at 3 p.m.

Game 27: South Carolina 6, Furman 1

Former Wren High standout L.T. Tolbert had two hits and three RBIs to lead 11th-ranked South Carolina to a 6-1 win over Furman Tuesday night in Columbia. USC improves to 20-8, while the Paladins' fifth straight loss drops their record to 11-16.
Looking to snap out of its recent funk against the toughest portion of the 2017 schedule, Furman got on the board first Tuesday. Landon Kay led off the game with a single. After a wild pitch and groundout, another wild pitch sent Kay home giving the Paladins a 1-0 lead.
It was all Gamecocks the rest of the way. Tolbert's RBI-single tied the game in the second inning and Carlos Cortes hit a two-run single with two out in the fourth to put USC ahead for good. Tolbert capped the scoring with a two-run single in the fifth.
Cody Morris (2-0) allowed one run on four hits in five innings to get the win. He had no walks and three strikeouts.
Hunter Baker (1-1) gave up six runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings to take the loss.
Backup catcher Jason Costa went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles to lead Furman.
The Paladins return to action this weekend with a SoCon series at UNC Greensboro. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Mercer completes sweep of Furman

A frustrating series for Furman's baseball team wrapped up Sunday at Latham Stadium. Mercer scored a run in the 10th to take a 7-6 lead and held on to complete a weekend sweep of the Paladins.
Furman falls to 11-15 overall and 1-5 in the Southern Conference, while the Bears improve to 24-6 and 5-1 in league play.
Next up for the Paladins, who have lost seven of their last eight games, is another stiff test. Furman plays at No. 11 South Carolina Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Sunday: Mercer 7, Furman 6, 10 inn.
Furman jumped out to an early lead scoring three times with two out in the first inning. Sky Overton had an RBI-single, and Sims Griffith hit a two-run single to give the Paladins a 3-0 lead.
Furman held a 5-3 lead through five innings before seeing it disappear. Mercer catcher Charlie Madden belted his 12th home run, which is tied for second-most in Division I, leading off the sixth. The Bears added single runs in the seventh and eighth to take a 6-5 lead.
The Paladins loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but only scoring the tying run on a Jason Costa groundout.
Mercer's Alex Crotty led off the 10th with a double and later scored the go-ahead run on a groundout.
Furman starter Matthew Quarles allowed four runs on four hits in six innings. He had two walks and six strikeouts. Heath Hawkins (2-2) gave up a run on three hits and three walks in two innings to suffer the loss.
Carter Grote went 3-for-3 to lead the Paladins.
Saturday: Mercer 5, Furman 3
Furman outhit Mercer 14-7 Saturday, but could not come up with enough big hits when needed as the Paladins stranded 15 baserunners. Furman left at least one man on base in every inning, including leaving the bases loaded in the third and eighth innings.
Landon Kay had three hits, while Brandon Elmy had two hits and two RBIs to lead the Paladins.
Furman left-hander Grant Schuermann (3-4) allowed three runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings to take the loss. He had one walk and three strikeouts.

Game 24: Mercer 5, Furman 4

It was deja vu all over again for the Furman baseball team Friday night.
Exactly a week after a heartbreaking loss at Wofford in which the Paladins blew a four-run lead in the 10th, Furman blew a four-run lead in the ninth Friday at Latham Stadium as Mercer rallied for a 5-4 win.
Facing an outstanding Mercer team that improved to 22-6 and 3-1 in the Southern Conference, Furman's Will Gaddis was dominant for eight scoreless innings. Gaddis, who had a no-hitter until a single with two out in the sixth, gave up two hits, three walks and struck out 10. Of Gaddis' 99 pitches, 72 went for strikes.
The Paladins (11-13, 1-3) staked Gaddis to a 4-0 lead thanks to a two-out, two-run single by Carter Grote in the seventh and a solo home run by Sky Overton in the eighth.
But the Bears made quick work of Furman's bullpen in the ninth. After a leadoff double on an 0-2 pitch, a flyout, and a single on an 0-2 pitch, Mercer's Hunter Bening clubbed an 0-1 pitch for his eighth home run to cut the lead to 4-3. Ryan Hagan followed by hitting a 1-1 pitch from Heath Hawkins over the leftfield fence for his first home run to tie the game.
Furman closer Jake Crawford came on in relief of Hawkins. Following a strikeout, Mercer's ninth-place hitter Alex Hanson sent a 3-2 pitch out for his third home run to put Mercer on top.
Bears' reliever Robert Broom delivered a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for his first save.
The Paladins, who have lost five of their last six games, will try to get back on track in Saturday's second game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Game 23: Clemson 8, Furman 0

Weston Jackson hit a pair of home runs to power fifth-ranked Clemson to an 8-0 win over Furman Tuesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. It's the fifth time this season the Paladins (11-12) have been shut out, four of which have been to a nationally-ranked team.
Jackson, a graduate transfer from Presbyterian, also doubled and finished with five RBIs for the Tigers (21-4).
That was plenty of support for Clemson starter Tyler Jackson (4-1), who tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings. Jackson, a USC Upstate graduate transfer, allowed five hits, one walk and struck out four.
Nik Verbeke (0-2) gave up two runs, one earned, on four hits in 3 2/3 innings to take the loss. He had three walks and four strikeouts.
Jabari Richards went 2-for-3 for the Paladins (11-12).
Arguably the toughest portion of Furman's schedule continues this weekend when the Paladins host Southern Conference foe Mercer (21-6, 2-1). Game one of the three-game series is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. Games are also scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Furman salvages final game of series at Wofford, splits doubleheader

After two very different, but rough losses, Furman bounced back to win the final game of its weekend series at Wofford as the teams split a doubleheader Saturday at King Field.
Game 1: Wofford 21, Furman 2
Less than 24 hours after Wofford used a five-run 10th inning to rally for a 9-8 win, the Terriers maintained the momentum in a big way. Wofford jumped out to a 9-0 lead two innings in and had 17 runs by the fifth inning.
Max McDougald went 4-for-6 with six RBIs, Cody Miller was 4-for-5 with four runs scored and McClain Bradley had three hits, three runs and four RBIs to lead the Terriers' onslaught.
Spencer Kulman (5-1) allowed one run on eight hits in seven innings to collect the win. Furman starter Grant Schuermann (3-3) gave up eight runs, six earned, on five hits in 1 1/3 innings to take the loss.
Carter Grote went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Paladins.
Game 2: Furman 12, Wofford 4
Furman scored nine runs over the final three innings to salvage the final game of the series.
An eventful first innings saw the Paladins take advantage of an error, wild pitch and passed ball to help score three runs. Landon Kay provided the big hit with an RBI-double.
Wofford came back with a run in the bottom of the first and three in the fifth. Andrew Orzel's two-run home run with two out gave the Terriers a 4-3 lead they maintained through six innings.
Grote led off the top of the seventh with a single. After a sac bunt by Kay, Brandon Elmy singled to left scoring Grote with the tying run. After a Sky Overton single, Jason Costa sent Wofford reliever Merritt Huber's first pitch into left-center for a two-run double that put Furman ahead for good.
The Paladins (11-11, 1-2 Southern Conference) sealed the win with two runs with two out in the eighth and four runs with two out in the ninth. Elmy had four of Furman's 15 hits, while Grote scored four runs.
After a 28-pitch first inning, Furman starter Matthew Quarles (3-1) settled in and provided six solid innings. He allowed four runs on four hits and three walks, while piling up eight strikeouts. Billy Greenfield fired three shutout innings of relief for his first save. Greenfield gave up one hit - a single, no walks and struck out four.
The Terriers fell to 11-14 overall and 2-1 in the SoCon.
Furman returns to action Tuesday at Clemson at 6:30 p.m.