May 3, 2008
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman exploded for 13 runs in the fifth inning to erase a 2-0 deficit on the way to a 13-9 win over Davidson in Southern Conference baseball action Saturday evening at newly dedicated Latham Stadium.
In the decisive fifth Furman (28-15, 14-6 SoCon) batted around twice, sending 18 men to the plate and plating 13 runs on 10 hits en route to second biggest inning in program history, just one shy of the 14 runs the Paladins posted in the fourth inning of 24-13 win over Western Carolina in 2000.
The big frame helped Furman stretch its school record SoCon winning streak to 12 games and give the Paladins sole possession of first place in the league following College of Charleston's 12-9 loss to UNC Greensboro on Saturday. Furman is 16-4 in its last 20 games.
The loss was the seventh straight for Davidson (10-31, 2-18 SoCon).
The beneficiary of Furman's offensive showcase was starting pitcher Mason Smith (5-3), who won for the third time in his last four starts in SoCon play. The senior right-hander allowed six hits and three runs, including two earned, over six innings while striking out four.
The loss was charged to Zac Long (1-5), who limited Furman to only two hits over the first four innings before running into trouble with one out in the fifth.
Furman banged out 16 hits in the contest, including two each by Marcus Rose, Connor Lind, Matt Hemingway, and Joey Rodgers.
Davidson rang up 10 hits, including two each by Hugh Eden, Brett Shore, and Danny Weiss. Weiss and Matt Webb belted solo home runs for the Wildcats.
In the fifth nine Paladins batted twice but no one had more than one hit. The big blows included a two-run double by Jay Jackson and two-run singles by Brian Harrison and Ryan Lee. Furman was also aided by three walks and two hit batsmen.
The Paladins led 13-2 after five and took a 13-4 lead into the ninth before Davidson struck for five runs off Paladin reliever J.P. Goldsberry before Ian Parry came on to record the final two outs to secure the win.
Furman will attempt to complete its fourth consecutive sweep in league play on Sunday in a 1:00 p.m. game.
