The Furman women’s softball team is a force to be reckoned with. They have taken five of their last seven games and are on a three game win streak that includes a forced mercy ruling against Chattanooga on Mar 17 after only five innings.

The Paladins began with a split in their doubleheader against South Carolina on Wed., Mar. 13. Furman claimed the first game of the doubleheader 8-6 with help from home runs by both junior Lauren Collier and sophomore Ambree Muller. The Gamecocks stole the second game 6-5, but the success of the Paladins demonstrates their growth into a powerhouse team.

“Over the last few weeks, especially during the South Caroline game, we saw the potential our group has when everything comes together and all of our skills work as one,” said junior Nikki Legg. “It is then that we really dominate over the other person.”

The Paladins returned strong against Chattanooga on Mar. 16. Collier again dominated the scene, this time throwing a six-hit shutout without issuing a walk. She helped the Paladins to a 4-0 victory while claiming her second shutout of the season. Collier, Muller, and Freshman Sieara Bishop garnered two hits each in the first game against the Lady Mocs. Chattanooga rallied in the second game to snatch the win from Furman 6-1.

Furman refused to loose and returned the following day to claim the third game of the series. They forced the mercy ruling after just five innings to take the victory 9-1.

Even more exciting, the win marks the first time since the 2000 season that the Paladins have taken a series from the Lady Mocs.

Legg was thrilled and expressed the sentiments of her teammate.

“It was an awesome feeling to take the series in five innings against a team that we haven’t beaten in so long,” she said. “We were able to show them who Furman is and that we are not willing to back down to any challenge that stands in the way of doing well in conference this year.”

Bishop was named Southern Conference Softball Player-of-the-Week on Tues., Mar. 19 after her stellar performances against both teams. She scored seven runs and had two extra-base hits and a .467 batting average in five games.

That same day the Paladins swept the Towson Tigers in a double-header. They claimed the first game 8-2 and the second 8-4 to move them to 13-13 for the season. Hoping to continue their winning streak, the softball team will return to action as they play a series against Georgia Southern on Mar. 29 and 30.