By MONTE DUTTON

I suppose folks must know, but it just hasn’t spread around their consciousness yet. They’re preoccupied.

PC baseball is a game out of first place in the Big South Conference.

Yeah.

Did you hear me?

What?

PC. It’s a game out of first place. Big South. Five games to play.

Really? No fooling? Are they home?

No. They’re at Charleston Southern. Won 14-4 on Friday.

It’s not just fans. I don’t think the 11 o’clock news has noticed. No highlights. I don’t think they even posted the score.

I noticed. I’ve been noticing. Furman doesn’t have a baseball team.

At the moment – several moments, all the ones until the Blue Hose play the Buccaneers in North Charleston at 5 p.m. on Saturday – Elton Pollock’s team is third, a game behind High Point and a half game behind USC Upstate.

The Panthers are 12-5. The Spartans are 14-6. The Blue Hose are 13-6. Charleston Southern is 9-7.

Only the top four teams qualify for the Big South Championship, a double-elimination tournament scheduled for High Point, N.C., on May 23-25. Fifth-place UNC Asheville is 4-1/2 games behind PC – four in the loss column — with five (six for the Bulldogs) to play. The final series is in Clinton on May 16-18 against UNC Asheville.

Between now and then, Presbyterian has five non-conference games: Wofford at home on Tuesday, three (two at home) with The Citadel next weekend and at Western Carolina on May 14. All those games against Southern Conference opponents, then the three against UNCA, lead up to the conference tournament.

This is far more exciting than the seeming public perception.

It’s more exciting than the Blue Hose’ latest victory, a 14-4 laugher over Charleston Southern on Friday at North Charleston’s Nielsen Field.

It was tense for three innings. In the top of third, Presbyterian (23-22) unloaded seven runs on the Buccaneers’ dock when they were anticipating buried treasure.

PC already led, 1-0, from Jay Wetherington’s RBI single in the second inning.

In the fourth, the first five PC batters produced four singles, a double and a pitching change. After the new arm turned in a strikeout, he turned to the walk and was replaced. The third visitor to the hill gave up two quick singles but ended the madness with two flyouts.

Five PC batters had two or more hits, led by center fielder Joel Dragoo with three, and eight had at least one. Jack Gorman and Jackson Hugus homered. Jake Randolph and Eli Lazio doubled. Randolph scored three. Hugus drove in four.

Charleston Southern amassed 10 hits, all singles.

PC added six more runs, amid similar fireworks, in the sixth inning.

Daniel Eagan (W, 5-1) pitched five shutout innings, fanning eight, and left safely ahead. Kyle Mueller, Robbie Boykin, Jeffrey Hays and Luke Gibson followed, none for more than 1-1/3.

Matt Gallant (L, 0-3) lasted three-plus innings, giving up seven hits, six runs and a walk with three strikeouts. Three followed.

The teams are scheduled to play again at 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Take a look at the box here.

Presbyterian’s softball doubleheader in Radford, Va., was marked by diversity.

The Highlanders won the former game, 7-1, and the Blue Hose the latter, 8-4.

Even with a split, Presbyterian (15-35, 5-12 Big South) has won five of its last seven games against Radford (23-23, 6-11). The win on Friday ended an 11-game skid this season.

Mallory Fletcher doubled twice in the twinbill. Kasey Wolfe launched a two-run homer.

Clinton’s Maddie Wood collected a couple hits.

In game two, Wolfe went the distance in the circle, facing 32 batters and hurling 130 pitches.

Jenna Greene (L, 7-15) made her 105^th career start in the opener.

Weather permitting, the rubber match between the Scotsmen and Radford is primed for lunchtime on Saturday. A decision is expected to be made in the wee morning hours regarding a possible earlier start, with the threat of rain still looming.

Saturday’s scheduled game is the last of PC’s season.

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