May 8, 2008

Box Score

Mt. Pleasant, S.C. - Ashley Gaston plated a pair of runs with a two-out single in the first inning and seventh-seeded Appalachian State held on to down sixth-seeded Furman 2-1 in an elimination game Thursday afternoon at the Southern Conference Softball Championship at Patriots Point Stadium.

Furman finishes its season 21-33 while Appalachian State improves to 11-36 and advances to face the loser of today's UNC Greensboro versus Chattanooga match-up in a 12:00 p.m. contest on Friday.

Furman hurler Lana Mackey surrendered just two hits over seven innings, but the back-to-back singles with two outs in the top of the first proved to be enough. After the Mountaineers drew a pair of walks in the first, Megan Squartino loaded the bases with a two-out single. Gaston followed with a two-run single to give Appalachian State a 2-0 lead.

Furman threatened in every frame, stranding two or more runners five times and leaving 13 runners on base for the game. Stephanie Cushing went 4-for-4 at the plate, including a double, to lead the Paladin offense. Mackey walked seven and fanned five while falling to 16-26 in the circle.

Appalachian State hurler Kayla Richardson worked around nine hits and four walks to pick up the victory, allowing only one run over seven innings.