Spartanburg, S.C.- Wofford softball (18-10, 2-0) took the first two games of the three-game weekend series against Furman (10-21, 0-2) on Saturday, March 22, at Hope Field. Game one saw Wofford win their first extra inning game of the season by a 6-5 margin in ten innings. Game two saw home runs from Bri Stanley and Hope Ingle as the Terriers cruised for the 5-3 win.
Game 1
Terrier ace Margaret Axelson got the nod for the first game in Southern Conference play this season. However, the Furman Paladins made her earn the victory as she went the complete 10-inning game with eight hits and five runs given up. She surrendered two walks while fanning four in 129 total pitches.
Wofford took an early two run lead with a Hope Ingle RBI single and a run scored on an error by the Paladin defense to put the Terriers up 2-0. Furman responded in the fourth with a two out double that drove in two runs to knot up the score at 2-2. Wofford retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth, as an errant throw by the Furman third baseman allowed a run to score and a Gracie Parker single tacked on another run later in the inning to give the Terriers a 4-2 lead heading into the seventh. However, Furman did not go away as they rallied and tied up the game with two runs in the top of the seventh. Wofford had a chance in the bottom of the seventh to walk it off with a runner on third with two outs, but the Furman starter held strong to send the game into extra innings. In extras, a pitching duel developed as neither team could get a runner across until the tenth inning when Furman went up 5-4 on an RBI single. Wofford responded with a Rivers Sampson RBI single and she advanced on the throw to tie up the score 5-5. Brianna Stanley had the next at bat and drove a ball off the right field wall to walk off the game with a 6-5 victory. It was Wofford's first extra inning win of the season snapping a 0-5 stretch.
Game 2
In game two of the series, Abby Greenwood got the start and went the complete game with seven punch outs, three runs given up, and no walks. Furman jumped on the Terrier hurler early in the first inning with a quick 2-0 score, however Greenwood would settle into the game and only gave up one run for the remainder of the game. The Terriers cut the lead in half with a Brianna Stanley solo shot to put the score at 2-1. Furman reestablished an insurance run in the third inning with their own solo home run to put Wofford in a 3-1 hole. In the bottom half of the inning, Sampson had an RBI to put the game back into a one run affair with a 3-2 score line. In the fifth frame, the Wofford bats woke up as they scored three runs in the inning. It started off with a Kate Platte RBI single, then a Brianna Stanly sac fly and finally a Hope Ingle solo moon shot that put Wofford up 5-3. The two-run cushion was all Greenwood needed as she only allowed one baserunner the rest of the ball game to bring home the Wofford 5-3 victory.
The Terriers remain at home at Hope Field tomorrow, March 23, as they finish the series against Furman and look to sweep the series. The first pitch on Sunday is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
