Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Georgia Southern Softball split a Saturday doubleheader with Furman to open a three-game series between the teams. Furman took the opener 5-4 in 10 innings, but the Eagles got the upper hand in game two, winning 11-2 in six innings. The rubber match is on Sunday at 1 p.m.

"It was a tough loss in game one, but we battled well and had our chances," said Head Coach Annie Smith. "We made a statement in game two and came out ready to play. Brooke (Red) threw a good game for us and we never let up, even with a big lead. Our goal is to win every series and we'll have a chance to do that tomorrow."
 
GAME ONE
GS 4, FURMAN 5 (10 Innings)

The Eagles dropped a 10-inning decision to the Paladins to open the Saturday afternoon doubleheader. The Eagles out-hit the Paladins 10-8, but suffered the team's second loss in league play to snap a seven-game winning streak.

With the game entering the 10th, Georgia Southern scored a pair of runs in the 10th, the first frame of play under the international tiebreaker rule. A Morgan Robinson double with two outs plated both runs to give the Eagles a 4-2 advantage.

In the bottom of the inning Furman got a single to open the inning and put runners on the corners. The Paladins tied the game later in the inning with one out on a double by Sieara Bishop. Ambree Muller singled up the middle to score the winning run.

Furman was first on the board with a run in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a throwing error by catcher AJ Hamilton. Hamilton atoned for her miscue in the fifth with a home run with one out in the fifth to tie the game at 1-1.

Another leadoff double in the sixth was turned into a run to give the Paladins their second lead of the day. A double from Shelby Morrill leveled the score again at 2-2 and ultimately sent the game into extra innings.

Lauren Collier earned the win for Furman to improve to 12-9 on the year. Sarah Purvis took the loss for the Eagles with 11 strikeouts. She fell to 16-6 on the year and took her first loss in SoCon play.

GAME TWO
GS 11, FURMAN 2 (Six Innings)

The Eagles made a statement in game two, posting an 11-2 win over the Paladins in six innings. The Eagles pounded out 11 hits in the victory and was the beneficiary of three Furman errors.

Furman took an early lead when Muller delivered her second RBI in as many trips to the plate. Her infield ground out gave the home side a 1-0 lead.

AJ Hamilton drove in two runs in the second with a single up the middle to hand the Eagles their first lead of the day. Taylor Rogers followed suit later in the frame with an RBI single up the middle of her own to make it a 3-1 lead.

A three-run home run with one out off the bat of Lexi Allen blew the game open in the third, extending Georgia Southern's advantage to 6-1. It was Allen's third home run of the season and eighth in her career.

Kourtny Thomas tacked on two more Eagle runs in the fourth with a laser beam of a home run to centerfield. It was her 13th home run of the season and first since March 22nd. She now has 32nd career home run which gives her solo possession of second place on the career home run chart, three shy of Robyne Siliga's record of 35.

Three more runs scored in the sixth to put the run rule in order in the bottom half of the frame. RBIs from Kailyn Johnson, Allen and Hamilton did the damage. Furman, however, answered with a run off two hits to cut the final score to 11-2 as the Eagles took the doubleheader split.

Brooke Red earned the victory with a six-inning complete game outing that saw her improve to 11-4 on the year. She worked around six hits and struck out two with no walks in the game. 

Georgia Southern and Furman are back in action on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. for the rubber match of the series.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets call 1-800-GSU-WINS.