March 2, 2007

Box Score

DAVIDSON, N.C.. -- Joey Rodgers, Tony Maccani, and Paul Ortenzo collected four hits each and paced a 19-hit attack to lead Furman to a 12-5 win over Davidson in the Southern Conference season opener for both teams Friday evening at Wilson Field.

The four-hit performances by the Paladin trio represented career single game highs, and the 12 runs and 19 hits marked season bests for Furman (3-4, 1-0 SoCon), which claimed its seventh straight win over Davidson (6-1, 0-1 SoCon).

Furman's hit parade featured eight doubles, including a pair of two-base hits by Bobby Hubbard, who went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Leading 6-5 after eight innings, the Paladins erupted for six runs in the ninth to take command of the contest and give freshman reliever Ian Parry (1-0) his first collegiate victory. Parry came on in the seventh in relief of starting pitcher Matt Klinker and hurled two innings, allowing no hits and a walk while striking out two. Klinker allowed nine hits and five runs over six innings. He walked one and struck out four.

Bobby DeMuro (0-1) absorbed the loss in relief after working an inning and allowing two hits and the go-ahead run in the eighth.

Furman racked up 12 hits and five runs against Davidson starting pitcher Rob Wilson, who exited after 6 2/3 innings.

Furman grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first after Rodgers opened the contest with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and came home on a sacrifice fly by Hubbard.

It remained 1-0 until the fifth inning, when Furman used four doubles to score three runs. Connor Lind led off with a double to right, and with one out came around to score on Will Stembridge's two-base hit to right center. Hubbard followed with a double to left center that plated Stembridge, and Hubbard came home on Maccani's two-out double to left centerfield that gave the Paladins a 4-0 lead.

Limited to only two hits through the first 4 2/3 innings, Davidson got its offense going in the bottom of the fifth when, after two outs, Ronnie Shore doubled and scored on Zach Kayne's double to left field to make it 4-1.

The Wildcats struck for four runs in the sixth to take a 5-4 lead, highlighted by Tommy Piacenza's three-run double down the right field line.

Furman tied the game in the seventh on a Maccani RBI single, and the Paladins grabbed the lead for good an inning later when Ortenzo scored on a wild pitch by Davidson reliever Thomas Middour to make it 6-5.

The Paladins blew the contest open in the ninth, scoring six runs on five hits, including a two-run single by Rodgers and Campbell Lewis' two-run double.

Game two of the three-game weekend series is set for 2:00 p.m.