Since I last wrote, the Paladins have played 17 games, winning 6 and dropping 11. With SoCon play starting, the Paladins must play with greater consistency if they hope to attain their goals this season.

The first game in this 17-game stretch was against the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Ga., where the Bulldogs defeated the Paladins 6-4. Andrew Maclatchie went 1 for 4, with two RBIs and a run scored while teammate Sky Overton contributed two RBIs, going 1 for 4.

In the trip to Deland, Fla., the Paladins went 2-1, defeating Maine 4-2 and Stetson 3-1. The lone loss came to Iowa, 8-2. Greg Harrison, Chris Ohmstede, and Jordan Simpson led the way in these three games with two RBIs each. Against Maine, Alex Abrams picked up his second win with Brant Masters earning his second save of the season. Against Stetson, Matt Solter pitched an excellent game, going 7.0 innings giving up no runs on only three hits. However, he was not credited with the win as the Paladins didn’t score until the eighth inning. Instead the win went to Billy Greenfield with Greg Harrison coming in for his first save of the season.

The next stop was a visit to Fluor Field in downtown Greenville to face USC-Upstate. The Paladins’ bats came alive, scoring 13 runs, while pitching gave up just one run. Chris Ohmstede and Heath Burton led the way with three RBIs. Matthew Quarles tallied his first win of the season, pitching 6.0 innings and giving up no runs on three hits.

The Paladins then faced Gardner-Webb in a three-game series which did not go the Paladins’ way. Gardner-Webb outscored Furman 25-11 while sweeping the Paladins. It didn’t get any easier with a trip down to Columbia to face the Gamecocks. The Paladins couldn’t slow down the number one team in the nation as the Gamecocks won 5-0. The following day the Paladins traveled to Durham to face Duke. Pitching was at a premium as the Paladins won 11-9. Jordan Simpson and Griffin Davis led the way with 2 RBIs each.

The next test was a three-game series against Hofstra. With bad weather on the way, they decided to play a doubleheader on Saturday. They split the doubleheader, with Hofstra winning the first game 4-2 and the Paladins winning the second 5-4. The third game wasn’t played because of rain and will not be rescheduled. The Paladins then hosted UNC-Asheville and lost in a nail biter, 7-6. Chris Ohmstede led the way with two RBIs and one run scored. The next day North Carolina Central came to Latham Stadium and stunned the Paladins with a 3-2 victory.

SoCon play got under way this past weekend with the Paladins traveling to UNC-Greensboro. Something about starting conference play must have awakened the Paladins as they scored 15 runs en route to an eight run win. Greg Harrison came to play, producing four RBIs on three hits while scoring two runs. They would go on to play a doubleheader on Saturday with UNC-Greensboro winning the first game 14-8 and the second 8-6. In the first game, Alex Abrams got the offense going with 4 RBIs. In the second game, Greg Harrison led the team with 3 RBIs.

On Tuesday, the Paladins host Presbyterian in a mid-week matchup before traveling to Birmingham to face Samford in a three-game set. The following week the Paladins will make the short drive to Clemson to face the Tigers. We will then host Davidson in a three-game series to mark the third conference matchup of the year and the first in Greenville