In several early season invitational-style matchups, the Paladins saw a wide range of opponents. To kick off the year at home, the Dins hosted the Paladin Invitational at Pepsi Stadium. Over the course of the weekend, the Paladins played four games, only coming out on top once.
Sitting with a 1-3 record, the Dins traveled to Statesboro, Ga. to compete in another early season tournament. In the “Bash at the Boro,” the Dins again found themselves unable to gain momentum, dropping two games to Lipscomb and splitting the series one game a piece with Harvard. The Paladin bats were cold in Statesboro, with the Dins only scoring six total runs, four of them coming in the lone Harvard victory.
Following this trip, Furman were finally able to rally some energy after returning back to Greenville, S.C., where they won three of their next five games, including wins over Canisius, Holy Cross and Morehead State.
To round out February and begin March, the Dins found themselves on the road in another tournament, this time hosted by the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Furman opened up the weekend with an 11-3 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville before dropping two in a row to Alabama. The Paladins finished out the tournament weekend going 1-1 with a 10-9 win over University of Alabama at Birmingham in an extra-inning thriller and a tough defeat to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Sunday before heading home.
It has been a long and bumpy road for the Paladins before entering Southern Conference play. But as the conference finally arrives the Din’s win-loss record has essentially reset, and all that matters now is Southern Conference play.
The Paladins opened up the Southern Conference slate with a weekend series in Spartanburg, S.C. on March 22-23. The Saturday double-header began with heartbreak for the Dins as a tenth-inning rally led the Terriers to a come-from-behind walk-off win. The disappointment continued into the evening, as the Paladins could not muster enough offense against the Terriers while they took game two by a score of 5-3 to win each game of the Saturday double-header.
Determined to not get swept on the series, the Paladins returned on Sunday hungry for revenge. Freshman Rachel Hawkins led the Paladins offensively, getting on base three times with two hits and a walk. Hawkins also drove in two of Furman’s four runs in the game.
With the Dins leading 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth-inning, senior pitcher Emme Buzhardt was called upon in relief. Buzhardt would go on to slam the door on the Wofford rally, completing a seven-out save for her second save of the year and giving the Paladins their first Southern Conference victory.
At 1-2 in Southern Conference play, the Dins will next play against ETSU this weekend, March 29-30 in Johnson City, Tenn. The ETSU Buccaneers will enter the contest also sitting at 1-2 in the Southern Conference following their opening weekend against the Western Carolina Catamounts.
The current Southern Conference Softball Standings are as follows:
T1 Chattanooga Mocs (2-1)
T1 Western Carolina University Catamounts (2-1)
T1 Samford Bulldogs (2-1)
T1 Wofford Terriers (2-1)
T5 Furman Paladins (1-2)
T5 University of North Carolina Greensboro Spartans (1-2)
T5 East Tennessee State University Bucs (1-2)
T5 Mercer Bears (1-2)
