May 22, 2009

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Furman pitchers J.P. Goldsberry and Jay Friedman combined to limit Western Carolina to three runs over eight innings to help propel No. 8 seed Furman to a 7-6 win over No. 4 seed Western Carolina in an elimination game at the 2009 Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Fluor Field Friday evening.

Furman (24-30) advances to face No. 2 seed Georgia Southern at 1 p.m. Saturday. Western Carolina ends the regular season at 35-22.

Goldsberry (4-6) hurled four strong innings, allowing only an unearned run on three hits while striking out five before departing with a 6-1 lead. Friedman came on in relief and worked four key innings, limiting Western Carolina to only two runs on five hits. He struck out three.

Western Carolina, which trailed 7-3 heading into the ninth, used a pair of walks and a hit batsman by Paladin closer Nick Karow to rally for three runs and cut Furman's lead to 7-6. Karow, however, rallied to retire Trevor Collias, the potential go-ahead run, on a fly out to end the game.

Furman opened the scoring in the second inning by plating four runs on a groundout, by Will Miller, RBI singles by J.B. Jenkins and Marcus Rose, and sacrifice fly by Connor Lind.

After Western Carolina scored an unearned run in the third, Furman tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Justin Holloway and Reese Wade to stretch its advantage to 6-1.

Both teams traded runs before the Catamounts' ninth inning rally.

Rose paced Furman's 10-hit attack, going 2-for-4 with a double, three stolen bases, an RBI, and two runs scored. Wade, meanwhile, recorded a 4-for-4 performance with an RBI. In all seven different Paladins collected an RBI.

Nick Liles was 3-for-5 with an RBI for WCU. Rembert Rollison was 2-for-4 with a home run and a RBI.

Mike Tavernier (7-6) suffered the loss for Western Carolina after allowing six runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings of work.