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Franklin's Homer Lifts Furman Past Western Carolina, 5-3
April 27, 2007
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Cole Franklin's two-run home run in the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie and lifted Furman to a 5-3 win over Western Carolina in Southern Conference baseball action Friday evening at Furman Stadium.
Franklin's two-run blast to center field, his first of the season, with one out also plated Tony Maccani, who had earlier singled, and helped Furman (13-29, 8-11 SoCon) complete the comeback. The freshman outfielder from Dallas, Texas, went 2-for-4 and also scored two runs.
Western Carolina (28-14, 11-5 SoCon) led 2-0 until the Paladins struck for three runs in the seventh to take a 3-2 lead. After the Catamounts tied the game with a run in the top of the eighth, Franklin delivered the game's big blow to propel Furman to its sixth victory in the last eight meetings with Western Carolina.
Nick Hollstegge (2-5) was forced to pitch around an unearned run in the eighth and leadoff double in the ninth to record his second win in the last three games. He surrendered two hits but struck out two, including Western Carolina hitting star Kenny Smith, to end the game. Smith went 3-for-5 in the contest, with a home run, triple, and single.
Tyler Sexton (6-2) suffered his first loss to a SoCon foe this season. He tossed eight innings, allowing nine hits and five runs, including four earned. He struck out nine and didn't walk a batter.
Furman starter Matt Klinker pitched well, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing six hits, two runs, and four walks. He fanned five.
Western Carolina broke on top, 1-0, in the third inning when Smith drilled a two-out Klinker offering over the left field fence.
The Catamounts made it 2-0 in the sixth after Smith tripled to right center field and scored on Jonathan Greene's sacrifice RBI.
WCU threatened in the seventh after loading the bases with two outs against a tiring Klinker, but Spencer Hale came out of the bullpen and battled back from a 2-0 count to retire Smith on a fly ball to left field to end the threat.
Furman, which had managed just four hits against Sexton over the first six frames, finally got untracked in the seventh when Franklin turned a short fly ball to center field into a leadoff double. Paul Ortenzo then bounced a grounder to shortstop Mitchell Hatley, whose attempted throw to third base to retire Franklin scooted past the bag, allowing Franklin to score. Ortenzo, who took second base on the throwing error, moved to third on a wild pitch before coming into score on a Spence Gibbs infield single to tie the game at 2-2. At that point Gibbs was sacrificed to second, where he was pinch run for by Will Stembridge, who then moved to third on a groundout and later scored on a throwing error by Catamount third baseman Nick Liles.
Western Carolina came right back in the eighth to tie the game at 3-3. After Greene led off with a single, John Ingram reached on a throwing error by Ortenzo at first base, giving the Catamounts runners at first and third. Hollstegge rallied to retire Liles on pop out to the catcher, but pinch hitter Andy John came through with a sacrifice fly RBI to the right field fence that tied the game at 3-3.
In the decisive Furman eighth, Jay Jackson led off with a sharp single to shortstop but was picked off just ahead of a Tony Maccani single. Franklin then came through with his two-run blast over the 393' center field fence to give the Paladins a 5-3 lead.
The two teams play game two of the series Saturday evening beginning at 6:00 p.m.
