I heard a comic say, when the March Madness is over (in April), people can go back to doing work in their offices.

Those lines have always been blurred for yours truly.

My trade is translating sports into English. I write what I see and what people say.

What separates being there from watching on TV are all the other senses. Good stories write themselves better when engulfed in all the sights and sounds and smells and jolts.

Maybe I spent so much time writing about NASCAR that I became accustomed to working amid noise.

Maybe I take myself too seriously.

As is typical of spring weekends, the Paladins have been out and about while also defending the realm.

Don’t look now, but the Paladins are off on a five-game softball winning streak, the latest two being a Southern Conference sweep of Western Carolina, 9-8 and 7-1, on Saturday at Pepsi Stadium.

Furman exploded for 16 runs on 22 hits over two games.

In the opener, the Paladins once led 7-0 and had to hang on late.

Alex Rose Molinar’s sacrifice fly gave Furman (15-14, 2-0 SoCon) the lead on the second inning and the Paladins took control with six more runs the following frame.

Sydney Dirks’ grand slam keyed the Catamounts’ comeback.

Meanwhile, in the home purple, Sylvia Burroughs delivered an RBI double down the left field line to drive in a run in the bottom of the fifth and Hannah Poole opened the sixth with a triple into the gap before scoring on Molinar’s grounder to second base to up the Furman lead to 9-6.

 A leadoff walk to Dirks got the seventh inning started for the Catamounts and Becka Wosnick ripped a two-run homer to left field two batters later, but reliever Lauralee Scott got Lily Bell to fly out to end the game.

Starter Makenzie Martin (0-5) took the loss for Western Carolina after surrendering six runs, just two earned, on three hits and four walks over 2-1/3 innings in the circle.

No such tension existed for long in the Paladins’ latter triumph.

Scott, who had earned the save in game one, proved to be the star out of the Paladin bullpen once more in Furman’s 7-1 triumph in game two.

The junior from Greenwood entered the game to start the second inning and held the Catamounts to only one run on five hits over six innings to improve to 5-1 on the season. She fanned a season-high seven batters without allowing a walk.

With runners on the corners and one out in the bottom of the third, Poole singled to plate Caitlin Goldwait and put the Paladins in front. Ansley Chiang followed with a two-run double into the gap to stake Furman to a 3-0 lead after three innings.

The Paladins swept a home softball twinbill, 5-4 and 10-2, from Presbyterian as senior Hannah Poole amassed five hits and four RBI at Pepsi Stadium earlier in the week.

In the opening game, Poole went 4/4 at the plate with a double, triple and three RBI.

Tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Sylvia Burroughs opened the inning with a single up the middle. After Kiley Perry popped out, Poole laced a triple into the right-center field gap to score pinch runner Chrissy Fleming from first base with the winning run.

Senior Sierra Tufts, who allowed just an unearned run in one inning of relief, earned the victory while Presbyterian’s Peyton Duncan suffered the loss. Duncan (2-5) allowed two runs on four hits in 1-2/3 innings of work.

Kendall Owens finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs for the Blue Hose.

Furman scored five runs in the first inning and four in the bottom of the fifth to run rule the Blue Hose in the nightcap.

Following Kasey Wolfe’s go-ahead single in the top of the first, Lykins tripled to leadoff the bottom of the frame and scored on Goldwait’s squeeze bunt. Poole singled to left field to score Goldwait and later crossed the plate on Hana Hashioka’s bloop double. Chloe Fabio capped the five-run outburst with a two-run single.

Leading 6-2 entering the bottom of the fifth, Alex Rose Molinar started another Furman rally with a leadoff single to the opposite field. With two outs, Ainsley Yoshizumi worked a walk and Lykins singled through the left side to up the margin to 7-2. Goldwait followed by lacing a shot towards shortstop that took a bad hop and reached the fence in left-center field. She legged out a triple as Yoshizumi and Lykins scored. Goldwait finished the game by racing home on a passed ball to trigger the mercy rule.

Tufts (7-4) allowed just two unearned runs on eight hits over five innings to earn her second win of the day. The righthander fanned six batters and issued two walks. Wolfe (3-8), who was tagged for six runs on six hits in two innings of work, suffered the loss.

Lykins went 3/3 and added a walk to reach base safely in all four trips to the plate while scoring three runs. Goldwait scored two runs and drove in three.

Anna Morgan trails only LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad entering the final round of the Clemson Invitational, played in Sunset at The Reserve at Lake Keowee.  

The senior from Spartanburg carded a 73 and sits four strokes back of Lindblad, who holds a two-round total of 66-67=133.

Freshman Audrey Ryu (-3) fired a 69 with a team-high six birdies on Saturday to move into a tie for 11th, and junior Alise Knudson (+8) shot a 78 with birdies on No. 11 and No. 18.  She sits in 71st place with 18 holes to play.

No. 24 Vanderbilt (-15) continues to hold five-stroke lead over 18th-ranked Clemson (-10), whIch sits in second place. No. 17 Texas A&M (-9) is in third, followed by 39th-ranked Ohio State (-6) in fourth.  Fifth-ranked LSU (-5) completes the top five.

The Paladins (+10) are tied with No. 38 Tennessee for 12th place in the loaded field, ahead of Virginia Tech (+11) and Louisville (+13), among others. 

The 54-hole tournament concludes Sunday with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Furman is paired with Virginia Tech and Louisville.  

Sophomore Clark Akers (-6) tied for third and the Paladin men’s golf team finished third ahead of key SoCon foes ETSU and Chattanooga Wednesday at the General Hackler Championship, which was hosted by Coastal Carolina at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach. 

A native of Nashville, Tenn., Akers played as an individual. He birdied three of four holes from Nos. 14-17 and led the field at the turn. then finished with a 1-over 73.  He was one of three players to tie for third, two strokes behind medalist Max Kennedy (-8) of Louisville, who won the tournament with a three-round total of 68-71-69=208.

Sophomore Harris Barth (-1) was one of two players to post six birdies for the Paladins on Wednesday. 

Senior Ross Funderburke (+3) shot an even 72 with three birdies to tie for 20^th.

No. 48 Louisville (-5) won the tournament by five strokes over host Coastal Carolina (E).  Furman (+1) finished third, ahead of 15th-ranked East Tennessee State (+3) and No. 33 Chattanooga ( +3), who tied for fourth. 

Furman begins play Sunday at the Hootie at Bulls Bay tournament, which is being hosted by the University of South Carolina at the par-72, 7,266-yard layout of that name in Awendaw.

The Paladin lineup for the tournament includes Barth, Funderburke, junior Will Morlan, Akers and senior Walker Crosby.  

Furman will be joined in the 15-team field by host South Carolina, College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, No. 16 East Tennessee State, Kent State, Kentucky, No. 37 LSU, Marquette, 35th-ranked Missouri, No. 19 New Mexico, N.C. State, 31st-ranked Purdue, Toledo and West Virginia. 

Senior Abigail Robertson won the 1,500 meters to lead the Furman outdoor track and field teams Saturday in the team’s opener at the Bob Davidson Team Challenge in High Point, N.C.

A native of Marietta, Ga., Robertson posted a time of 4:26.10 as Furman swept the top six spots in the 1,500m event.  Senior Nicole Matysik finished second with a personal-best time of 4:26.35, while junior Sierra Bower took third with a 4:26.42.

Also for the women, senior Megan Marvin finished second with a time of 2:10.10 in the 800.

On the men’s side, freshman Brayden Seymour placed fifth in the 1,500 at 3:50.86 and 10th in the 800 at 1:58.81.  Junior Gabe Montague took sixth in the 1,500 with a personal-best time of 3:51.39.

In the men’s 3,000m Steeplechase, sophomore Colton Kempney posted a time of 9:42.66 for sixth place, while junior Casey Burr finished eighth at 9:47.19.  

The Paladins at the Raleigh (N.C.) Relays and at the Stanford (Calif.) Invitational next weekend.

Furman dispatched Wofford, 6-1, Wednesday at Mickel Tennis Center to maintain possession of the Pinson Cup, awarded to the annual women’s tennis match between the friendly rivals.

The Paladins have been awarded the trophy each year since its inception in 2005.

Furman (6-10, 2-0 SoCon) won all three doubles matches in quick fashion.  Junior Ellie Schulson and freshman Macy Hitchcock posted a 6-1 advantage over Lily Woods and Grace Agster at No. 1, and juniors Jess Dawson and Sara Snyder also defeated Breda Brennan and Chloe Elliott, 6-1, at 2.  At 3, junior Grace Thomas and freshman Maeve Thornton topped Emely Kahrs and Brianna Wilbur, 6-2.

Furman won five of six singles matches for the victory.  Thornton recorded a 6-2, 6-4 win over Wilbur at No. 2, and Ellie Schulson hung on for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 advantage over Woods at 3.  At 4, Thomas downed Kahrs, 6-1, 7-5, and Hitchcock defeated Agster, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, at 5.  Junior Marissa Pennings entered the Paladin lineup at flight six, where she came from behind to beat Elliott, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. 

Wofford (11-6, 1-3 SoCon) picked up the point at No. 1 singles, where Brennan bested Snyder, 6-4, 6-3. 

Furman travels to Cullowhee, N.C., Sunday to take on Western Carolina at 1 p.m.

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