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Western Carolina Tops Furman, 8-5
April 29, 2007
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Steven Strausbaugh went 2-for-5 with a home run to propel Western Carolina to an 8-5 Southern Conference victory over Furman Sunday afternoon at Furman Stadium.
With the win Western Carolina (30-14, 13-5) took the series two games to one and remained in second place in the SoCon play behind first place College of Charleston. The loss marked the 16th setback in 22 home games this season for Furman (13-31, 8-13 SoCon).
Strausbaugh delivered an RBI double in a four-run Western Carolina second inning and later belted a solo home run in the seventh after Furman had narrowed the Catamount lead to 6-5. Blake Murphy also went 2-for-5 and drove in a pair of runs for WCU, which totaled 10 hits on the afternoon, including a solo clout by Nick Liles.
Furman managed only six hits against Catamount pitching, but two left the ballpark off the bats of Jay Jackson and Will Stembridge.
Catamount starting pitcher Corey Martin (4-1) earned the victory after going 5 1/3 innings and surrendering five earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one.
Mason Smith (2-6) absorbed the loss for Furman. He was touched up for five hits and five runs, all earned, in 3 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two.
Western Carolina broke on top in the third after Liles singled to lead off, Donnie Wilson walked, and Mitchell Hatley was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Barrett Shaft hit into a force play at second, allowing Liles to score the game's first run, and Murphy drilled a two-run double down the left field line to give WCU a 3-0 lead. Strausbaugh followed with an RBI double to left field to complete the four-run outburst.
The Catamounts made it 5-0 an inning later on Liles' solo home run.
Furman got untracked in the bottom of the fourth after Marcus Rose was hit by a pitch, stole second, and advanced to third before coming home on a Jackson groundout.
After Kenny Smith's RBI double in the fifth stretched the advantage to 6-1, Furman rallied for four runs against Martin in its half of the fifth, highlighted by a pair of two-run home runs by Jackson and Stembridge to left field.
The Catamounts answered with two runs in the seventh. Strausbaugh's two-out solo home run to left center field off Paladin reliever Ian Parry made it 7-5, and Kenny Smith later made it 8-5 after getting hit by a pitch, stealing second, and coming around to score after Jackson dropped a sinking fly ball in left field off the bat of Jonathan Greene.
Chris Masters kept Furman's bats in check for 2 2/3 innings before walking the leadoff batter in the ninth and giving way to Greg Holland, who set the Paladins down in order for his eighth save of the campaign.
Furman returns to action on Tuesday when its hits the road for a 6:00 p.m. game at Charlotte. The Paladins knocked off the 49ers, 4-3, in Greenville on Feb. 21.
