Sunday, May 13, 2018

Schuermann, Paladins earn gutsy win at ETSU

Furman left-hander Grant Schuermann tossed one of the most effective 13-hitters you'll ever see and the Paladins held on for a 6-5 win at ETSU Saturday. Schuermann's complete game effort evened the series heading into Sunday's rubber game.

Despite the 13 hits, Schuermann was able to go the distance on a total of 101 pitches. That was thanks to no walks, while the senior also posted a career-high eight strikeouts. After Christian Bailey's pinch-hit, three-run double cut Furman's lead to one with two outs in the ninth, Schuermann (4-7) got ETSU leadoff man Ben Jackson to pop out, securing his fourth career complete game.

Furman (23-26, 8-12 Southern Conference) staked Schuermann to an early 5-0 lead. Jabari Richards homered on the fifth pitch of the game in the first before the Paladins pushed four runs across in the second inning. The second began with four consecutive hits, including an RBI-single by Logan Taplett and RBI-double by Bret Huebner. The first out of the inning came on a squeeze bunt by Sims Griffith that made it 4-0. Ben Anderson followed with an RBI-single in running his streak of reaching base to 31 consecutive games.

Schuermann blanked the Bucs (26-20, 10-10) for six innings before they cut the Paladins lead to 5-2 in the seventh. Furman's Jason Costa provided what turned out to be a huge insurance run in the ninth with his team-leading ninth home run.

Taplett, Huebner, Anderson, Costa and Landon Kay each had two hits to lead the Paladins' 13-hit effort.

Sunday's final game of the series, which is Furman's final road game of the season, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

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