Away from the bright lights of Harrah’s Cherokee Center, the ecstasy and the agony, a lot more was going on in Furman athletics.

Nowhere, as best I know, did anyone have a fight, injure an official or taunt the opposition afterward.

Miami (Ohio) and Georgia used big first innings to sweep a pair of games from Furman on the final day of the Bulldog Softball Classic Sunday in Athens, Ga.

The RedHawks are from Oxford, Ohio.

Miami (16-6) erupted for six runs in the first inning and cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Paladins.

A pair of singles and a base on balls loaded the bases for the RedHawks in the bottom of the first before Holly Blaska singled to drive in a run and Kate Bobayashi worked a bases-loaded walk. Chloe Parks delivered a two-run single to chase Paladin starter Taylor Miller (1-4), but Miami continued the rally against Angelina Ricciardi with an RBI groundout and a run-scoring double.

Jenna Golembiewski belted a two-run homer in the fifth inning to trigger the run rule and hand the RedHawks an 8-0 win. The left fielder paced the RedHawk offense going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.

Ashley Hitchcock (5-3) held the Paladins to a pair of hits in five shutout innings.

Miller (1-4) allowed all six batters she faced to reach base as she took the loss. Ricciardi allowed two runs on six hits over 4-2/3 innings in the circle.

The seventh-ranked Georgia Bulldogs slammed a pair of first-inning home runs and cruised to a 7-0 victory over Furman in the final game.

Lyndi Rae Davis led off the bottom of the first with a home run and Jayda Kearney followed Sara Mosley’s walk with a two-run blast to put the Bulldogs (20-3) in front 3-0 after just three batters. Davis and Kearney each drove in a run with an RBI single as part of Georgia’s three-run second inning to help the Bulldogs build a 6-0 advantage.

Madison Kerpics (7-1) allowed only two hits over four shutout innings and Rachel Gibson tossed three hitless innings of relief to pick up her first save. Gibson fanned six Paladin batters in relief of Kerpics.

Starter Sierra Tufts (5-4) absorbed the loss for Furman. The righthander gave up five runs on three hits and two walks in just one inning of work. Emme Buzhardt pitched effectively out of the Paladin bullpen allowing only one earned run on four hits over five innings.

Davis and Kearney combined to go 4/7 with two homers and five RBIs for the Bulldogs.

The Paladins (10-13) return home to host Gardner-Webb for in a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday.

Softball continues opens an eight-game homestand versus Gardner-Webb.

The Paladins (10-13) have lost seven straight games.

Centerfielder Ashlee Lykins, first baseman Kiley Perry, and middle infielder Ansley Chiang have been the bright spots on offense for the Paladins through the first 23 games. Lykins is hitting .372 and has swiped nine bases. Perry, the preseason SoCon Player of the Year, enters Tuesday batting .329 with four homers, and 17 RBIs. Chiang has fashioned a .326 average and swiped seven bases in seven attempts in her first collegiate season.

Staff ace Sierra Tufts is 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA. Opponents are hitting .236 , while junior Emme Buzhardt, coming off a strong relief appearance against Georgia. sports a 2.84 ERA and leads the nation with five saves. Fellow junior Lauralee Scott has gone 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA in 11 appearances.

Gardner-Webb (19-6), ranked No. 85 in the RPI, comes to Greenville on a 10-game winning streak.

Morgan McCarthy scored a game-high six goals to lead the Oregon Ducks to a 17-8 victory over the Furman Paladins in lacrosse action, Sunday afternoon at Papé Field in Eugene.
Furman falls to 1-5 while Oregon improves to 6-1.
Paige Harman netted her first hat trick of the season to lead the Paladin offense, scoring a season-high three goals while adding two draws and one ground ball. Anna Roser provided two goals, and Sophia Buzelis totaled two points on a goal and assist. Buzelis also led the team with three draws along with Hannah Dintino. In goal, Lily Rathbun recorded a season-high 10 saves.

McCarthy led Oregon with her six goals to go with nine draws, three ground balls, and one caused turnover. Riley Taylor added four goals. Goalie Thayer Hubbard registered five saves.
Furman returns to Paladin Stadium on Tuesday to host Virginia Tech at 6 p.m.

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