GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Designated player Debbie Zeigler lined a three-run double to left-center field with two outs in the top of the seventh to lift Elon to a 6-4 lead on its way to a 7-4 come-from-behind victory over Furman in Southern Conference softball action Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium.
Trailing 4-3 entering the seventh inning, Elon’s Dani Concepcion reached on an error to start the Phoenix rally. After a Paige Goss strike out, Megan Borgaard drew a base on balls to give Elon runners at first and second. Furman starter Rachel Henley got Meredith Miley to ground out to shortstop for the second out as Concepcion and Borgaard moved up a base.
Henley walked Sadie Ball to load the bases and Zeigler, with Elon down to its final strike of the game, cleared the bases with the game-winning double. Laurin Smith followed with a double to score Zeigler and up the lead to 7-4.
Elon jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top half of the first when Ball blasted a three-run homer to center field. Furman rallied back in the second inning. Jessica Matthews singled to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Megan Jaudon. Henley followed with a double to right-center to plate Matthews and trim the lead to 3-1. After Henley moved to third on a gournd out, the senior scored when Colleen Harrison reached on a fielding error.
Henley knotted the game at 3-3 leading off the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer down the left field line, her second homer of the weekend. With two outs, Danielle Franklin drew a walk and scored on Amber Nelen’s RBI double to give the Lady Paladins a 4-3 lead.
Meredith Gay (12-8), who entered the game in the fourth inning, earned the win for Elon. Gay worked 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out three to hold Furman at bay. Ball paced the Elon attack with three RBI and two runs scored while Zeigler scored a run and batted in three.
Henley, who recorded her 500th career strike out in the second inning and moved into second on Furman’s career strike out ledger, took the loss to fall to 8-20. Henley allowed seven runs, only three earned, on six hits over seven innings. The Kingston, Tenn., native struck out 10 and walked five. Henley also went 2-for-3 with a double, homer, two RBI and two runs scored to lead Furman.
Furman (12-39, 3-12 SoCon) returns home to host the College of Charleston in its final home series of the year next weekend while Elon (25-24, 7-8) will be in action on Wednesday in a non-conference doubleheader at Charlotte beginning at 4 p.m.
-- ELON --
