May 11, 2005
Columbia, S.C. – Furman scored five runs in the second inning Wednesday night and four in the fourth to defeat South Carolina 11-5, marking the first time in 52 years that the Paladins have won more than one game in the same season over the Gamecocks. Furman evened its record at 23-23 while South Carolina fell to 33-17.
One week earlier, at Greenville, Furman downed South Carolina 6-2. In 1953 Furman won three of four games against South Carolina, splitting a pair at Columbia and sweeping two at Greenville. Since then the Paladins had never defeated South Carolina more than once in a season.
South Carolina out hit the Paladins 14-11, but nine of the Gamecock hits came with two outs while Furman bunched five hits and a Gamecock error to score five times in the second inning. Four hits and another error produced four runs in the fourth inning. Furman added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
The Gamecocks committed three errors while Furman played errorless baseball.
Furman starting pitcher Kyle Funk lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits and four runs. He was relieved by Cal Hurst who got the win to improve his record to 2-1. Hurst allowed only one run in 1 1/3 innings despite giving up five hits. Patrick Arnett pitched the final 12 outs to receive credit for his first save of the season.
Cliff Donald, 1-1, the first of seven South Carolina pitchers, was charged with the loss. The most effective of the seven were the final two. Conor Lalor struck out four of the five batters that he faced and Forrest Beverly retired the Paladins in order in the ninth inning.
South Carolina’s only lead was the result of a two out solo first inning home run by Steve Pearce, his 15th of the season and third in the past two games. Donald gave up hits to four of the five batters he faced in the top of the second and relief pitcher Andrew Cruse was greeted by a triple off the bat of Nick Wajda.
The four run Furman fourth inning featured doubles by Tony Maccani, Wajda and Sam McClain.
After the Pearce home run South Carolina managed single runs in the third and sixth, innings and scored twice in the fourth. After Arnett allowed an RBI single to Pearce in the sixth inning, the third batter that he faced, he retired 10 of the last 11.
McClain, A. J. Davidiuk, Maccani and Wajda had two hits for Furman. Wajda and Case Cassedy had two runs batted in. Davy Gregg had three hits for South Carolina and Pearce, Michael Campbell, Steve Tolleson and Jon Willard had two. Willard had two doubles and Gregg one.
