Before this weekend, not a whole lot was going Furman’s way.
The Paladins (8-14, 4-2 Southern Conference) came to Statesboro with five wins in 19 games, losses in 10 of their last 12 outings, a slumping offense and an average pitching staff. But somewhere in between getting swept by Austin Peay at home last weekend, a midweek win over Gardner-Webb and a bus trip to south Georgia, something began clicking for Furman.
On Sunday, the Paladins stuck with the formula that worked for them Friday and Saturday and used strong pitching and timely hitting to knock off Georgia Southern 6-1 and sweep the series. The three-game sweep — Furman’s first at J.I. Clements Stadium — marked the first time since 1995 the Paladins won three straight against Georgia Southern (16-12, 0-3). The Eagles hadn’t been swept in league play in two years.
“It was a rough weekend,” GSU coach Rodney Hennon said. “Furman played well. They beat us in every phase of the game. They out-coached us, and they outplayed us. We’ll regroup and get back to work. Tuesday we have an opportunity to go up to Georgia Tech and start a new week. We’ll focus on that.”
Unlike the Paladins, the Eagles entered the weekend playing well, which is why the outcome was a surprise to many, including Furman fans that made the trip from Greenville, S.C. Both coaches said they felt their teams had reversed roles.
“(The Eagles) actually did the things that had caused us to lose 14 games,” Paladin coach Ron Smith said. “They got men on and weren’t able to get them in. It’s tough when it goes like that, but that’s baseball. They’ve got a good club.”
The Eagles racked up 26 hits during the series but stranded 28 baserunners, including eight Sunday. The trend started in the first inning when the Eagles had men on first and third with one out and failed to score. Two innings later, GSU had the bases loaded with one out, but first baseman Jeremiah Parker lined into an inning-ending double play. The Eagles’ only run of the day came in the second when Parker led off by sending a 1-0 pitch to dead centerfield for a 1-0 GSU lead.
“We pressed a little bit offensively and didn’t get the big key hits when we needed them this weekend,” Hennon said. “But that’s baseball. Coming in, we’d been getting a lot of two-out hits.”
Furman took the lead for good in the third on left fielder Jay Jackson’s two-run bomb to the tops of the pine trees in left. It was the second home run of the series and the season for Jackson, who threw seven innings and picked up the win Saturday. Furman scored two more on Paul Ortenzo’s RBI groundout and a passed ball in the fourth, then stretched its lead to 6-1 with a pair of run-scoring hits in the fifth.
Furman’s starting pitcher, junior righty Mason Smith, allowed one earned run and seven hits in seven innings for his first win of the year. Mason (1-4) entered the weekend with a 6.23 ERA.
“We played as well as we could play,” Smith said. “We executed, we got bunts down, we got big hits with men on base and we didn’t leave a lot of guys on, which had been our biggest problem in the process of losing 14 games and getting off to a really tough start. We feel very fortunate.”
Senior John Ducey (3-3) suffered the loss, allowing four runs (two earned) and six hits in four innings. Aaron Eubanks gave up two earned runs and four hits over three innings, and David Cogswell didn’t surrender a hit in two scoreless innings of relief. Centerfielder Matt Miller, right fielder Mike Economos and Parker were all 2-for-4 for GSU.
“We’ll learn from this experience — that’s one thing about it,” Hennon said. “We’ll learn from this experience, and it’s going to make us a better ball team before it’s over.”
The Eagles travel to Georgia Tech for a two-game series beginning Tuesday at 7 p.m. GSU swept the Jackets at home last month and resume SoCon play Friday at UNC Greensboro.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
The Paladins (8-14, 4-2 Southern Conference) came to Statesboro with five wins in 19 games, losses in 10 of their last 12 outings, a slumping offense and an average pitching staff. But somewhere in between getting swept by Austin Peay at home last weekend, a midweek win over Gardner-Webb and a bus trip to south Georgia, something began clicking for Furman.
On Sunday, the Paladins stuck with the formula that worked for them Friday and Saturday and used strong pitching and timely hitting to knock off Georgia Southern 6-1 and sweep the series. The three-game sweep — Furman’s first at J.I. Clements Stadium — marked the first time since 1995 the Paladins won three straight against Georgia Southern (16-12, 0-3). The Eagles hadn’t been swept in league play in two years.
“It was a rough weekend,” GSU coach Rodney Hennon said. “Furman played well. They beat us in every phase of the game. They out-coached us, and they outplayed us. We’ll regroup and get back to work. Tuesday we have an opportunity to go up to Georgia Tech and start a new week. We’ll focus on that.”
Unlike the Paladins, the Eagles entered the weekend playing well, which is why the outcome was a surprise to many, including Furman fans that made the trip from Greenville, S.C. Both coaches said they felt their teams had reversed roles.
“(The Eagles) actually did the things that had caused us to lose 14 games,” Paladin coach Ron Smith said. “They got men on and weren’t able to get them in. It’s tough when it goes like that, but that’s baseball. They’ve got a good club.”
The Eagles racked up 26 hits during the series but stranded 28 baserunners, including eight Sunday. The trend started in the first inning when the Eagles had men on first and third with one out and failed to score. Two innings later, GSU had the bases loaded with one out, but first baseman Jeremiah Parker lined into an inning-ending double play. The Eagles’ only run of the day came in the second when Parker led off by sending a 1-0 pitch to dead centerfield for a 1-0 GSU lead.
“We pressed a little bit offensively and didn’t get the big key hits when we needed them this weekend,” Hennon said. “But that’s baseball. Coming in, we’d been getting a lot of two-out hits.”
Furman took the lead for good in the third on left fielder Jay Jackson’s two-run bomb to the tops of the pine trees in left. It was the second home run of the series and the season for Jackson, who threw seven innings and picked up the win Saturday. Furman scored two more on Paul Ortenzo’s RBI groundout and a passed ball in the fourth, then stretched its lead to 6-1 with a pair of run-scoring hits in the fifth.
Furman’s starting pitcher, junior righty Mason Smith, allowed one earned run and seven hits in seven innings for his first win of the year. Mason (1-4) entered the weekend with a 6.23 ERA.
“We played as well as we could play,” Smith said. “We executed, we got bunts down, we got big hits with men on base and we didn’t leave a lot of guys on, which had been our biggest problem in the process of losing 14 games and getting off to a really tough start. We feel very fortunate.”
Senior John Ducey (3-3) suffered the loss, allowing four runs (two earned) and six hits in four innings. Aaron Eubanks gave up two earned runs and four hits over three innings, and David Cogswell didn’t surrender a hit in two scoreless innings of relief. Centerfielder Matt Miller, right fielder Mike Economos and Parker were all 2-for-4 for GSU.
“We’ll learn from this experience — that’s one thing about it,” Hennon said. “We’ll learn from this experience, and it’s going to make us a better ball team before it’s over.”
The Eagles travel to Georgia Tech for a two-game series beginning Tuesday at 7 p.m. GSU swept the Jackets at home last month and resume SoCon play Friday at UNC Greensboro.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
