The Paladins competed in the Battle at the Beach from Feb. 24-25 and went 2-2 in the tournament. They defeated Louisville 13-8 before falling 7-3 to Bowling Green in back-to-back games on Saturday, Feb. 24. On the last day of the tourney, Furman beat Bowling Green 5-3 but suffered an 8-2 loss to tournament host Coastal Carolina.
Furman returned home the following weekend as they hosted the Paladin Classic at Pepsi Stadium. On Saturday, March 2, Akron beat the Dins 6-5 in a slugfest that went to eight innings. Furman then split games with South Dakota before falling to Akron once again the next day.
On March 8-10, the Dins competed in the Bulldog Classic at the University of Georgia. They dropped two games against Jacksonville State and the University of Miami in Ohio on Friday and Saturday, respectively. On Sunday, Miami shut out the Dins, 8-0 in five innings, and UGA 7-0.
Following the Bulldog Classic, Furman began a seven-game homestand on March 12 as they took on Gardner-Webb in a doubleheader. The Dins snapped Gardner-Webb’s 11-game win streak and beat the Runnin’ Bulldogs in the second game of the doubleheader. Game one went to 11 innings as Furman fell 8-5. In game two, the Paladins jumped out to a five-run lead in the first inning, which helped them cruise to a 9-5 victory.
The Paladins earned two Southern Conference weekly awards. Senior infielder Chloe Fabio was named the SoCon Player of the Week, and junior pitcher Loralee Scott was named the SoCon Pitcher of the Week.
Fabio went 6-7 at the plate and added six runs batted in two games. Scott went in for relief during the second game and limited Gardner-Webb to a single run on two hits in four innings of work. She also struck out five batters. Additionally, she honored her mother’s memory by receiving the ceremonial first pitch from her father on Furman’s Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
On March 20, Furman welcomed Presbyterian College into Pepsi Stadium. The Dins extended their winning streak to three as they defeated the Blue Hose 5-4 in game one. Senior infielder Hannah Poole went 4-4 at the plate in the first game, hitting a double and a triple while driving in three runs.
In game two, the Paladins defeated the Blue Hose 10-2 in five innings. Senior pitcher Sierra Tufts earned the win, pitching the entire game. She entered the first game in one inning of relief and allowed just one unearned run. In game two, she allowed two unearned runs and only eight hits in five innings while striking out six Blue Hose batters. Similar to game one, game two was won in walk-off fashion.
Furman will open SoCon action against Western Carolina in a three-game series at Pepsi Stadium that begins on Saturday, March 23. Saturday will consist of a doubleheader with games slated at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The teams will wrap up the series with a singular game on Sunday, March 24 at 1 p.m. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
