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Greenville, S.C. – Senior Sylvia Burroughs tripled, belted two home runs, and drove in eight runs to power Furman to a 5-4, 8-5 doubleheader sweep of Charleston Southern in non-conference softball action Tuesday at Pepsi Stadium.
Game 1: Furman 5, Charleston Southern 4
Furman built a 5-2 lead in game one and held off a late rally to down the Buccaneers, 5-4, behind a complete-game effort from freshman righthander Kristyn Embler.
After Charleston Southern took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning, Burroughs drove in Embler with a triple into the right-center field gap to even the game and Katie Peeler put Furman in front with an RBI single up the middle. The Buccaneers knotted the game in the top of the fourth before Furman answered with a. three-run bottom of the frame. Christina McCoy and Ansley Chiang set the table with singles and Kate Stoltzfus doubled down the right field line to put the Paladins back in the lead. AB Cipalla’s squeeze bunt allowed Chiang to score from third base and Burroughs capped the outburst with a two-out, RBI single to extend the lead to 5-2.
Charleston Southern battled back with two runs in the top of the sixth to trim the deficit to 5-4, but Embler retired the Bucs in order in the seventh to secure the victory and improve to 7-10 on the season. She allowed five runs on four hits over seven innings while walking three batters and fanning one.
Starter Brenna Conley (0-12) took the loss for Charleston Southern after giving up four runs on eight hits over 3.1 innings of work.
Burroughs, Rachel Hawkins and Chiang each recorded a pair of hits for the Paladins in game one.
Game 2: Furman 8, Charleston Southern 5
In the nightcap, Burroughs blasted a pair of home runs and drove in six runs to help secure the sweep of the Bucs with an 8-5 Furman victory.
With Furman trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first, Burroughs hammered the first pitch she saw over the left-center field fence for a three-run homer to stake the Paladins to a 3-1 advantage. Charleston Southern chased Paladin starter Gwen Hill with four runs in the top of the second, including a two-run single by Jordyn Dimond.
Furman cut into the lead on Embler’s RBI single in the bottom of the frame but continued to trail 5-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth. Cipalla opened the decisive frame with a single and Embler followed with a base on balls before Burroughs launched a three-run blast to deep centerfield, her second of the game, to give Furman a 7-5 lead.
Embler added a towering solo homer to left field in the bottom of the sixth to up the margin to 8-5 and reliever Jamison Noonan wiggled out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the seventh to end the game as Stoltzfus ranged from shortstop to spear a bouncing ball and dove to tag second base for the final out.
Noonan (3-9) notched her third consecutive win by shutting out the Bucs over 5.1 innings of relief while giving up just five hits and a walk. The freshman fanned three batters.
Burroughs went 3-for-4 with two homers and six RBI to lead Furman’s 12-hit attack. Cipalla, Embler, and Peeler added two hits apiece while Embler scored three runs.
Riley Lauffer (5-11) suffered the loss for Charleston Southern (7-36) allowing seven runs on nine hits over four-plus innings in the circle. Blakeley Kingsmore went 3-for-4 at the plate for the Bucs.
The Paladins (11-32), who have won six of their last eight games, continues their homestand this weekend with a three-games series versus Samford at Pepsi Stadium. Saturday’s doubleheader is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch with Sunday’s series finale also slated for 1 p.m.
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