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.

Wofford stuns Furman with five-run 10th

Furman's Brett Harker will likely never forget his first Southern Conference game as a head coach - no matter how hard he tries. Mack Nathanson's second home run of the night capped a five-run 10th as Wofford stunned the Paladins 9-8 Friday in Spartanburg.
Friday's SoCon opener was set to be a showdown between two of the best starting pitchers in the league and it was for most of the game.
Furman's Will Gaddis fired strikes all night, but allowed three solo home runs. The last of those was Nathanson's first homer which gave the Terriers a 3-2 lead in the seventh.
After 107 pitches thrown, Wofford ace Adam Scott didn't come out to start the eighth and the Paladins rallied. Brandon Elmy belted a two-run home run to right-center with two out in the eighth, pushing Furman ahead 4-3.
With Furman clinging to the one-run lead and with Gaddis having thrown just 95 pitches, the senior came back out to try to close it out in the ninth. Wofford's McClain Bradley drew a leadoff walk before being erased on a fielder's choice.
For a second it seemed as if the Paladins had wrapped up a win on a strikeout-caught stealing double play. After first signaling out when it appeared Wofford's Carson Wain may have slid past the bag, the umpire quickly changed his signal to safe. Harker came out and questioned the call to no avail.
Wofford third baseman Max McDougald, who robbed Jake Crawford of an RBI-single earlier in the game, then stepped to the plate and stroked a single to right scoring Wain with the tying run. Crawford came on in relief of Gaddis and needed just one pitch for a flyout to force extra innings.
Furman (10-10, 0-1) answered in the top of the 10th. Thanks to a pair of Wofford (10-13, 1-0) errors and a two-run single by Dillon Love, the Paladins put up four runs.
With an 8-4 lead and their closer on the mound, things appeared comfortable for the Paladins heading to the bottom of the 10th. But the Terriers battered Crawford with two doubles and two singles sandwiched around two outs. Nathanson then capped the improbable comeback with a two-run homer to left.
Crawford (0-1), who had allowed just one run in 7 2/3 innings entering Friday, saw his ERA rise from 1.17 to 6.23.
Gaddis finished with one walk and 10 strikeouts in his 8 2/3 innings. Scott gave up two runs - on a two-run homer the opposite way by Jabari Richards - on six hits in seven innings. He had one walk and four strikeouts.
Due to a stormy weather forecast for Sunday, the teams will wrap up the series with a doubleheader Saturday at 2 p.m.

Game 19: Georgia St. 5, Furman 0

Georgia State scored a pair of runs in the first inning and made that lead hold up as the Panthers downed Furman 5-0 Tuesday in Atlanta.
Making his first start as a Paladin, former Spartanburg Methodist pitcher Nik Verbeke (0-1) didn't allow a hit in his two innings of work, but was done in by control issues.
After Georgia State's Ryan Blanton and Justin Jones walked leading off the game, three wild pitches, a flyout and a groundout allowed both of them to score.
That was all the scoring until the bottom of the eighth, when Georgia State's Jack Thompson sealed the win with a three-run home run.
Despite outhitting the Panthers 6-4, Furman (10-9) was shut out for the fourth time this season. The Paladins left 10 runners on base and hit into a pair of double plays.
Jordan Lee (1-0) scattered four hits over five innings to collect the win for Georgia State (11-10). Logan Barnette worked two hitless innings for his second save.
Jabari Richards and Brandon Elmy each had two hits to lead Furman.
The Paladins open Southern Conference play with a weekend series at Wofford. Game 1's first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.

Quarles, Costa help Furman claim series win

One day after a sloppy loss, Furman's battery powered the Paladins up to a series win Sunday. Matthew Quarles tossed a complete game and catcher Jason Costa had a perfect day at the plate and behind it as Furman downed North Carolina A&T 7-3 at Latham Stadium.
After tossing seven shutout innings at No. 20 Ole Miss last Sunday, Quarles turned in another terrific effort. The senior right-hander from Greenwood, who's battled high pitch counts at times during his Furman career, threw 109 pitches Sunday. His bullpen-saving performance came a day after the Paladins used five pitchers in an 11-10 loss.
"Matthew Quarles really threw the ball exceptionally well," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "(Quarles' breaking ball) is a game-changer. It breaks late and hard. For it to be a slow pitch, it throws hitters off because it doesn't look like it's going to do much and it disappears."
Quarles (2-1) allowed a first-inning run Sunday before tossing seven scoreless innings in which he faced just two batters over the minimum. North Carolina A&T's No. 3 and 4 hitters, Myles Sowell and Adan Ordonez, hit back-to-back homers with one out in the ninth, but Quarles got a strikeout and a groundout to short for the second complete game of his career. He finished with nine strikeouts and no walks.
Costa began his 4-for-4 batting day with a double leading off the second. He later scored on Sky Overton's sac fly to tie the game 1-1.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Overton belted a three-run home run to put Furman (10-8) on top for good.
Following an error-filled day Saturday, the Paladins committed two more Sunday. However, Costa cleaned up those messes as he threw out Aggies trying to steal after each error.
Costa capped his monster game with a homer leading off the eighth.
"That's as dominant a performance you can have and not be a pitcher," Harker said of Costa's showing. "He completely took over that game."
Sowell finished with three hits for North Carolina A&T (10-8) to raise his batting average to .492, which ranks third-highest in the country. Ordonez had two hits and drove in two runs giving him 24 RBIs this season.
Furman returns to action Tuesday at Georgia State at 6 p.m.
Saturday: North Carolina A&T 11, Furman 10

On Saturday, Ordonez went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and North Carolina A&T took advantage of ugly play by the Paladins to even the series. Furman was charged with three errors, but "there should've been six or seven if you count balls that should've been outs," according to Harker.
"When you play like that, you're going to have to do something special in order to still win," Harker said after Saturday's game. "We came up a little short in pulling off a miracle."
After Furman took the lead with a five-run third, the Aggies answered with a six-run fourth. North Carolina A&T built an 11-5 lead through six innings before the Paladins began chipping away.
Furman scored three in the seventh before Carter Grote's two-run homer in the eighth sliced the lead to 11-10.
Sky Overton was hit by a pitch leading off the bottom of the ninth. He reached second on an error and third on a balk, but Aggies' reliever Noah Dyals struck out Dillon Love to end the game. Dyals came on following Grote's homer with one out in the eighth and only allowed the one hit batter to record his second save.
Grote, Overton, Jake Crawford and Cameron Whitehead each had two RBIs for the Paladins.
*Videos courtesy of Dan Scott.

Game 16: Furman 17, North Carolina A&T 2

A week after getting swept and going scoreless at Ole Miss, Furman busted out of its offensive woes in a big way Friday at Latham Stadium. The Paladins had a pair of six-run innings to roll on to a 17-2 win over North Carolina A&T.
Furman got back on track as did 2016 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year Jabari Richards. Back in the leadoff spot that he excelled in last year, Richards went 4-for-4, walked and was hit by a pitch. Richards, who entered Saturday having gone just 2-for-21 this season, also scored three runs and had two RBIs.
Richards led off Friday's game with a double and came around to score on an error to snap the Paladins' 33-inning scoreless streak.
"We just took a leap of faith on him (leading off again) and said 'hey, we're going to get you going,' and it paid off. ... I thought he put one out of here (to start the game), but it hit the top of the fence for a double," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "It just set the tone for the rest of the day. I thought the guys had quality at-bats, driving the ball all over the field."
Furman pushed the lead to 4-0 in the second thanks to RBI-singles by Jake Crawford and Richards. The Paladins put the game out of reach with six runs apiece in the fourth and fifth innings. Carter Grote and Brandon Elmy each had two-run doubles in the fourth. Grote had the big blow in the fifth when he tripled with the bases loaded.
Grote finished with a career-high five RBIs. Making his first start at second base, Dillion Love had three hits and two runs scored also for Furman (9-7). In limited action this season, Love is batting .500.
"Carter's just the heart and soul of our team and seeing him put some balls in the gap with runners on was really good to see," Harker said. "I tell the kids all the time, 'when you get opportunities, make the most of it,' and Dillon Love's doing that. He just looks like a different kid with the confidence he has right now."
That run support was more than enough for Paladins ace Will Gaddis (2-2), who hurled six scoreless innings. Gaddis allowed four hits, no walks and struck out seven.
"Will was really, really good and he was not happy when I took him out," Harker said. "Over the course of this year we're going to need to find outings here and there where he doesn't get extended. That's going to help him at the end of the year."
Adan Ordonez had a pair of doubles and Camden Williamson also had two hits for the Aggies (9-7).
Furman and North Carolina A&T are set to play game two of the series Saturday at 4 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Game 15: Ole Miss 1, Furman 0

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.

Game 14: Ole Miss 5, Furman 0

The temperature at first pitch of Furman's game at Ole Miss Saturday was 40 degrees and the Paladins' offense remained just as cold. While Furman outhit the Rebels 4-3, Ole Miss won 5-0. After back-to-back shutouts for the 20th-ranked Rebels (10-5) in the series, the Paladins have gone 24 consecutive innings without a run.
For the second consecutive day, an Ole Miss starter worked eight scoreless innings and piled up strikeouts. Brady Feigl (2-1) allowed just three hits, one walk and struck out 10.
It was also a second straight day that Furman wasted a solid effort from its starter. Grant Schuermann (3-1) had a complete game, but suffered his first loss of the season. He allowed three earned runs and three hits and threw 99 pitches in his eight innings.
After Ole Miss' Colby Bortles led off the second with a walk, Michael Fitzsimmons had the lone extra-base hit of the game with a home run. The Rebels added two runs in the third on a double steal, which included a steal of home, and a Furman error. A passed ball in the eighth led to another unearned run.
After just one hit over the first seven innings, the Paladins (8-6) had three hits over the final two but couldn't score in running their losing streak to three games.
Furman will try to salvage the final game of the series Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Game 13: Ole Miss 2, Furman 0

In a pitcher's duel Friday night in Oxford, Miss., Ole Miss starter David Parkinson took a no-hitter into the eighth inning to lead the 20th-ranked Rebels past Furman 2-0 in the opening game of a weekend series.
Furman ace Will Gaddis (1-2) had his best performance of the season, but deserved a better fate. The only runs of the night were scored after happenings beyond Gaddis' control.
"That was the best Will's looked (this season) and it isn't even close. His breaking stuff was on and his fastball was good," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "We were uncharacteristically sloppy in the field. There should've been four errors."
In the third inning, Gaddis appeared set for a seven-pitch inning when Will Golson hit a two-out groundball to short. However, Golson reached on an error that was later inexplicably changed to a single. Ryan Olenek lined the next pitch for a base hit to right that Furman's David Webel tried to field barehanded but overran. Webel's error allowed Golson to come home with the first run.
The Rebels (9-5) had a man on first and two out in the fifth when Olenek hit a hard grounder that was headed right for Furman second baseman Sims Griffith but hit the umpire instead. By rule, that's a dead ball single. Tate Blackman followed with an RBI-single to make it 2-0. Gaddis threw 13 more pitches after the groundball off the umpire, but got out of a bases-loaded jam with no further damage.
"Baseball can be cruel. That being said, I guess none of that matters because we couldn't scratch one (run) anyway," Harker said. "Give their guy credit. He's really good. He had four pitches working and pounded the (strike) zone.
"I thought we did a poor job of expanding the zone with him. We swung at pitches that we don't normally swing at."
While Gaddis was trying to keep the Paladins (8-5) close, Parkinson was mowing them down. Over the first seven innings, the lone Furman batter reached when Carter Grote was hit by a pitch leading off the fourth. Grote was thrown out trying to steal second.
The Paladins got their first hit when Brandon Elmy singled to center on the first pitch of the eighth inning. The inning ended two batters later when Jake Crawford bounced into a controversial 5-4-3 double play. After umpires reviewed a possible foul ball catch that clearly hit the ground earlier in the inning, there was no review of the double play in which it appeared Crawford may have beaten the throw to first.
Furman tried to rally off Ole Miss closer Will Stokes in the ninth. Pinch-hitters Trent Alley and Jason Costa singled and walked, respectively, leading off. After David Webel struck out trying to sacrifice bunt, Grote followed with a rocket liner right to Ole Miss third baseman Colby Bortles who fired to second for a game-ending double play.
"Not getting that bunt down in the ninth was really frustrating because we know that's what he's really good at," Harker said. "With all those things we didn't do right, we lose 2-0 at Ole Miss. That tells you the type of team we're capable of being. We just need to clean those things up."
Parkinson (3-1) allowed one hit and no walks in eight scoreless innings for Ole Miss. The former Florence-Darlington Tech standout had a career-high nine strikeouts. Stokes collected his fourth save.
Gaddis gave up two runs, one earned, on six hits in seven innings for Furman. He had two walks and six strikeouts.
Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Butler rallies, hands Furman first mid-week loss

Butler cleanup hitter Michael Hartnagel went 5-for-5 with three RBIs to lead the Bulldogs to a 10-7 win over Furman Wednesday at Latham Stadium.
The Paladins (8-4) jumped on top 7-4 after three innings, but were shut out the rest of the way to suffer their first mid-week loss of the season.
After Hartnagel hit a two-run single in the top of the first, Furman came back in its half. The Paladins put up four runs thanks to one swing of the bat by backup catcher Jason Costa. The grand slam was his first collegiate home run.
Tyler Houston's two-run single in the second tied the game 4-4 before Carter Grote put Furman back on top with an RBI-single in the bottom half. Costa led off the third with another homer and the Paladins added another run on a wild pitch.
While a trio of Butler relievers shut out Furman the rest of the way, the Bulldogs (7-6) chipped away at the lead. Garrett Christman's leadoff homer in the eighth snapped a 7-7 tie and Butler added insurance on a two-run single by Jordan Lucio later in the inning.
Furman had a pair of baserunners reach with two out in the ninth, but Butler closer Chris Myjak got pinch-hitter Trent Alley to flyout for his fourth save.
Next up for the Paladins is a weekend series at Ole Miss. The opening game is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Game 11: Furman 7, Presbyterian 6

Carter Grote had three hits, Landon Kay had three RBIs and Furman held on for a 7-6 win over Presbyterian Sunday in the final game of the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field.
After falling behind 1-0 in the second, Furman came up with a four spot in the bottom of the inning. With two out, Grote had a RBI single and Kay followed with a two-run double.
The Blue Hose (6-7) came back to tie the game 4-4 with two runs in the third and another in the fourth. Furman once again had a quick answer in the bottom half of the fourth.
Jabari Richards led off with a single before Grote tripled to put the Paladins (8-3) back on top for good. After an RBI-groundout by Kay, a PC error led to another run as Furman took a 7-4 lead.
Things got a little dicey for Paladin closer Jake Crawford in the ninth. After PC's A.J. Priaulx led off with a homer to cut the lead to 7-6, Crawford got the next two outs on just three pitches. But then a single, walk and a hit batter loaded the bases for Blue Hose before Crawford got a groundout to secure his third save.
Next up for Furman is a home game against Butler Wednesday at 2 p.m.
*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.

Game 10: Furman 11, UT-Martin 3

Back in the friendly confines of Latham Stadium, Furman's offense got back on track Saturday while Grant Schuermann continued to shine since coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2016. Schuermann allowed two runs on four hits in six innings as the Paladins defeated UT-Martin 11-3 in the second day of play in the First Pitch Invitational. Schuermann (3-0) had two walks and five strikeouts.
After being limited to two first-inning runs by Michigan State Friday at Fluor Field, Furman's offense provided Schuermann plenty of support Saturday. The Paladins (7-3) took advantage of five errors and eight wild pitches by UT-Martin. Landon Kay led the way with three of Furman's 13 hits, along with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Carter Grote, Jake Crawford and Brandon Elmy each had a pair of hits, while Grote also scored three runs. Ninth-place hitter Chadwick Word hit the only home run of the day when he led off the fifth inning by belting an 0-2 pitch for his second homer.
Schuermann's only trouble came in the third inning when the Skyhawks (5-3) scored two runs on three hits. The sophomore left-hander retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced. The lone one he didn't get out in that span reached base on an error.
Nik Verbeke, a junior formerly of Spartanburg Methodist, tossed a scoreless eighth in his Paladin debut. Verbeke was expected to challenge for a weekend starting rotation spot before being slowed by injury.
Furman finishes up the First Pitch Invitational Sunday at Fluor Field. The Paladins face Presbyterian at 3 p.m.

Game 9: Michigan State 3, Furman 2

Michigan State leadoff hitter Danny Gleaves snapped a tie with a seventh-inning home run Friday and the Spartans held on for a 3-2 win over Furman in the eighth annual First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field.
The Paladins (6-3) entered on a three-game winning streak and got off to a quick start. In the bottom of the first inning, Landon Kay, Jake Crawford, Sky Overton and Brandon Elby each had singles to stake Furman to a 2-0 lead.
Michigan State answered in the second when cleanup hitter Zack McGuire led off with a homer on a 1-2 pitch from Furman ace Will Gaddis.
The Spartans (7-1) tied the game in the fifth on an RBI-single by McGuire.
Gaddis allowed just two runs on four hits, two walks and struck out six. Gaddis had to exit after six innings though having thrown 102 pitches.
Gleaves then led off the seventh by sending Billy Greenfield's second pitch over the green monster in left field. That was the only run Greenfield allowed in three innings of relief.
After four hits in the opening inning, Furman had five the rest of the way but they were all singles as well.
Alex Troop (2-0) allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits in six innings to earn the win. He had one walk and six strikeouts. Michigan State closer Riley McCauley gave up two hits in the ninth, but had a pair of strikeouts and induced a groundout to end the game for his fourth save.
Furman returns home to Latham Stadium to face UT-Martin at 5 p.m.

Due up: Michigan State; On deck: UT-Martin; In the hole: Presbyterian

Furman and Michigan State will be among the first teams to show off the new and improved Fluor Field when the teams meet Friday at 5 p.m. in downtown Greenville. It will be the second game of the eighth annual First Pitch Invitational, following Presbyterian's game against Tennessee-Martin at noon Friday.
They will be the first games played since extensive improvements were done at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive.
The tournament shifts to Furman's Latham Stadium Saturday where Furman will face UT-Martin at 5 p.m. and concludes Sunday at Fluor Field when the Paladins take on PC at 3 p.m.
Furman (6-2) carries a three-game winning streak into the Invitational. Junior Will Gaddis (1-1, 2.77 ERA) is scheduled to start for Furman Friday, while sophomore left-hander Grant Schuermann (2-0, 5.25) and senior Matthew Quarles (1-1, 7.27) are slated to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Michigan State (6-1) is coming off a series win at UNC Greensboro last weekend. UT-Martin enters the weekend at 5-1, while PC is 5-5.

Richards, Hawkins power Furman past USC Upstate

Jabari Richards returned to his 2016 form and Heath Hawkins looked as dominant as he did down the stretch in 2016 Tuesday to lead Furman to a 7-4 win at USC Upstate. The Paladins (6-2) improve to 2-0 in mid-week games this season, which have also been Furman's lone road games.
"That's a great team win," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "We've struggled playing here."
Richards, the 2016 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, got off to an 0-for-12 start this season but in his first at-bat Tuesday he broke out in a big way. Richards belted a three-run home run over the right-centerfield wall - near the 383-feet marker - of the cavernous Harley Park.
With runners on first and second, Richards showed bunt and fouled off the first pitch but then smoked a 1-1 pitch for the homer.
"Man, was that good to see Jabari Richards come back and run one out of the park and look like himself today," Harker said. "On 1-1, I felt they were going to throw him a good pitch so we took the bunt off and that one worked out."
Later in the second, Carter Grote tripled and Landon Kay singled him home to give Furman a 4-0 lead.
The Spartans (3-5) began to chip away at the lead with single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings to cut the lead to 4-3. USC Upstate threatened for more in the fifth as it loaded the bases with two out, but Hawkins came on and got a flyout to end the inning.
Furman answered with three runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by a Chadwick Word RBI-single that Harker said may have been the biggest at-bat in the game.
Hawkins (1-0), who's been hampered by a lower abdominal strain, cruised over the next three innings. In 3 1/3 innings, he gave up two hits, one unearned run, no walks and struck out two.
"That was Heath Hawkins of last year and it was really good to see him look that way," Harker said. "They've got some really big kids that can drive the ball and he held them at bay."
Things got a bit dicey for Furman in the bottom of the ninth as the Spartans loaded the bases with two out against standout closer Jake Crawford. However, Crawford got a groundball to shortstop to end the game and earn his second save.
"He was so upset he didn't catch those two groundballs up the middle (that went for singles)," Harker said. "I think it's good that he got tested. ... He got through it."
*EDIT: Furman's scheduled home game Wednesday against UNC-Asheville was postponed by a forecast of thunderstorms. It will be made up on April 25.

*Video courtesy of Dan Scott.