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Miscues Help UNC Greensboro Down Furman Softball, 9-3
March 25, 2007
Greenville, S.C. - UNC Greensboro took advantage of seven Furman errors to score six unearned runs and salvage the final game of a three-game Southern Conference softball series with a 9-3 victory over the Lady Paladins Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
The win improves the Spartans to 18-20 overall and 1-2 in the Southern Conference. Furman, who swept Saturday's SoCon opening doubleheader, moves to 12-15-1 overall and 2-1 in league play.
With the game tied 3-3 entering the seventh, leadoff hitter Mary Greenway opened the frame for the Spartans reaching on a throwing error by second baseman Meredith Mielke. Brittany Ausley followed with a bloop single into right-center field and both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch.
Adriane Audley delivered an RBI single to center to plate Greenway and advanced to second base on the throw to home plate. Kara Clouser placed a bloop single down the right field line to up the lead to 5-3 and Jennifer Bonilla drew a base on balls to load the bases with nobody out.
Furman reliever Blake Murray fanned Lyndsey Wilson, but walked pinch hitter Vanessa Oakes on four pitches to force in the third run of the inning. Following a pop out to short, Lyndsay Mouse reached on a Stephanie Cushing error and two runs scored when first baseman Christina Campoli misplayed Brandi Schnute's grounder to first as UNCG extended its lead to 9-3.
UNCG took a 1-0 lead in the second with the help of two Furman errors and a walk. Furman answered to take a 2-1 lead on RBI singles from Danielle Franklin in the second inning and Megan Jaudon in the third.
Audley tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth with a two-out, RBI single to left-center. The Spartans regained the lead in the sixth inning capitalizing on Furman's miscues once again. Bonilla reached on an error by Cushing to start the inning and Wilson gave UNCG a 3-2 lead with a triple to right-center.
In the sixth, Brythe Blankenship reached base after being hit by a pitch and Lana Mackey lined a one-out double to right-center to tie the game.
Amber Harrell earned the win for UNCG to improve to 6-11 on the season. The freshman tossed three innings of relief allowing one run on two hits. Audley went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Bonille collected two hits and scored two runs for the Spartans.
Murray suffered the loss in relief to fall to 6-8. She allowed six runs, just two earned, on three hits in two innings.
Furman returns to action with a three-game SoCon series at Georgia Southern next weekend. The series opens with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.
