GREENSBORO, N.C. – Trailing 6-0 after the top of the first inning Sunday, UNCG scored eight unanswered runs and captured its second walkoff victory of the week as the Spartans topped Furman 9-8 in a Southern Conference series finale at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.

Senior LHP Blair Betts was phenomenal in the contest as he was called upon to relieve freshman RHP Michael Bates in the top of the first with no outs on the board. Betts recorded career highs in innings pitched (4.0) and strikeouts (5) as he limited to Paladins to just one unearned run and did not give up a hit. Junior LHP Bryant Stafford was credited with the win as he improved to 2-1. Stafford gave up one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout in 2 1/3 innings of work. Elliott Warford was saddled with the loss as he dropped to 3-2 after throwing the final 2 1/3 innings. Warford surrendered the winning tally and walked four batters while striking out a pair.

The Spartans (15-17, 6-6) out-hit Furman (15-19, 5-7) by a 12-6 margin and received multi-hit efforts from four players. Infielders Hunter King and Collin Woody each had two hits and scored two runs while King recorded a RBI on his team-leading seventh home run of the season. UNCG has now notched a long ball in 13 of its last 14 games. Senior outfielder Eric Kalbfleisch also contributed two hits and drove in a pair.

The Paladins got the offense going early in the contest as three consecutive walks loaded the bases with no outs on the board. Chris Ohmstede and Jordan Simpson followed with two-straight base hits to put Furman in front 3-0. The visitors tacked on another run on a fielding error before capping the half inning with two sacrifice flies to extend the cushion to 6-0.

Senior infielder Aaron Wright put the Blue and Gold on the board with a sac fly in the bottom of the first before senior outfielder Tyler Long doubled and scored on a RBI groundout by freshman infielder Tripp Shelton in the second inning to trim Furman's lead to 6-2.

Kalbfleisch led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and moved to third on a single by Long. Sophomore Ryne Sigmon followed with his second triple of the season that plated Kalbfleisch and made it a three-run contest. Shelton then came through with his second RBI of the day – a single down the right field line that brought Sigmon home and pulled UNCG to within 6-4. The Paladins would escape further damage with an inning-ending double play.

A leadoff double by King to begin the bottom of the fifth led to a bases-loaded no out situation as Woody and Wright drew consecutive walks. With one down, Kalbfleisch took the second pitch he saw and flared a two-run single into shallow left field that tied the game. Sigmon drew another walk to load the bases once more and a Furman throwing error would bring home the go ahead run.

King plated an important insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with one out as he lined a 3-0 pitch over the wall in left field to give the Blue and Gold an 8-6 advantage. Ohmstede responded with a RBI single in the top of the seventh before Simpson delivered a sac fly to knot the score in the top of the ninth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Woody slapped a single up the middle and Wright drew a full count walk to put the Spartans in business. Sophomore catcher Jake Kusz then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. The Paladins decided to intentionally walk Kalbfleisch as Long stepped to the plate with the bases full of his teammates. He would not have to leave the batter's box as a four-pitch walk by Warford plated Woody for the game-winning tally.

UNCG returns to action Tuesday, heading over to Durham for its lone meeting of the season with in-state foe Duke. First pitch at Jack Coombs Field is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Keep up with the UNCG baseball team all season by logging on to www.uncgspartans.com and following the Spartans' official Twitter accounts @UNCGBaseball/@uncgsports.