Paladins drop series opener at N.C. State

Furman starter Grant Schuermann. Photo courtesy of Furman.

Brian Brown hurled seven shutout innings and had plenty of offensive support as 12th-ranked N.C. State defeated Furman 10-0 Friday in game one of the weekend series at Dail Park in Raleigh, N.C. Brett Kinneman went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs to lead the Wolfpack (5-1).

The game was scoreless for three innings before N.C. State broke through in the third. After an error and walk to open the inning, Wolfpack speedster Brock Deatherage beat out a bunt to load the bases. Dillon Cooper hit a sac fly to get N.C. State on the scoreboard and one out later, Josh McLain hit a two-run double.

The Wolfpack added five runs in the sixth. After Deatherage fell behind 0-2, he took four straight balls to lead off the inning with a walk. He stole second and third before coming home on a single by Cooper. That was followed by a single by J.T. Jarrett and an RBI-single by McLain that chased Furman starter Grant Schuermann. Kinneman greeted reliever Tyler Kimbrell with a three-run homer to right to make it 8-0.

Kinneman capped the scoring with a two-run homer to center in the seventh.

Brown (2-0) allowed three hits and no walks in his seven scoreless innings. He had eight strikeouts. Schuermann (1-1) gave up seven runs, four earned, on seven hits in five innings. He had three walks and one strikeout.

Singles by John Michael Boswell, Jake Crawford and Logan Taplett accounted for all of Furman's hits, and N.C. State pitchers issued no walks.

Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m.