Following the 3-1 Friday night defeat at the hands of the Spartans, Furman looked to rebound in the Saturday double-header. On a day where the weather could not have been more perfect, the afternoon quickly became nightmarish for the Paladins.
In the first game of the day, the University of North Carolina Greensboro Spartans jumped out to an early two-run lead, forcing the Paladins to play from behind. In the bottom of the third inning, the Dins small ball effort pushed across two runs and tied the score at two apiece. A Run Batted In single from junior catcher Sylvia Burroughs plated the first run of the game for the Dins. The next batter, junior Kiley Perry grounded out to bring home the tying run.
In the following inning, the Dins jumped out on top for the first and only time of the day. Freshman outfielder Katie Peeler led off the inning with a walk. Two pitches later, she stole second base and, following a sac bunt, found herself on third base with one out in the inning. A Run Batted In single from senior outfielder Caitlin Goldwait brought home Peeler to give the Dins a 3-2 lead.
This was the extent of the Furman highlights, as the Spartans responded in a big way. Two sixth-inning home runs from UNCG all but put the game away as the Spartans coasted their way to a 9-4 victory in game one.
Game two was more of the same for the Paladins. Tied 1-1 heading into the third inning, UNCG pitcher senior Jorde Chartrand took matters into her own hands and launched a three-run home run off of the left field foul pole to give the Spartans a 4-1 advantage. Another UNCG homer in the fifth inning put the game out of reach for Furman as Greensboro completed the series sweep, taking game two by a score of 5-2.
With the series sweep, UNCG improves their record to 30-10 overall and 7-2 in conference play. For the Paladins, the losses bring their season record to 13-25 overall and 3-6 in league play. The Dins will be back in action on Wednesday, April 9 for their Cancer Awareness Night game against Queens University at 5 p.m. in Pepsi Stadium, streaming on ESPN+. The Dins will then host Southern Conference foe Chattanooga for a three-game weekend series on April 12 and 13.
