On Wednesday Mar. 10, the Furman softball team took on North Carolina A&T in a double header. While most of the students were on campus relaxing and enjoying the sunshine, the Furman softball girls went out and picked up two much needed wins to bring their overall record to 4-8.  

The first game featured several big moments from the Paladin offense including a first collegiate homer from Kaitlyn Laudick. The freshman outfielder wasn’t the only one to have a big day on offense, as junior Mackense Greico also launched two homers going 3-3 with three RBIs in the process.  

Unfortunately for the North Carolina A&T Aggies, this offensive explosion from the Paladins came at the cost of pitcher Kiara Richards. Richards allowed six runs in the first two and one-thirds innings. While the Aggies did experience some offensive success with their hitting streaks and two of their players converting RBIs, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Paladins.  

The second game was very similar to the first regarding pure offensive power from the Furman Paladins. Scoring eight runs in the second inning, the North Carolina A&T aggies were left demoralized early on. The offense only continued as Furman went on to win 16-0. Freshman outfielder Ashlee Lykins and sophomore catcher/short-stop Riley Ludlam both had strong performances in this game with three hits apiece and alongside Kaitlyn Laudick they drove in eight runs together. Mackense Greico also continued her domination from the first game.

North Carolina A&T couldn’t get anything going on offense as they were shutout by the Paladin pitching and defense. The Paladins were dominant at the plate all day, scoring eight runs over one and two-thirds innings.  

The Paladins hope to continue this dominance as they face Clemson on Friday at 5 p.m. and again for a double header on Saturday at 1 p.m. Seeing as Clemson is ranked number 25 in the country, the Paladins are going to need the same kind of explosive play they exhibited on Wednesday in order to upset their in-state rival.