GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG softball team (27-17, 4-4 SoCon) split its Saturday doubleheader against Furman (23-23, 4-7 SoCon) at the UNCG Softball Stadium first losing 9-6 then bouncing back with a 3-0 shutout victory in game two.

Alicia Bazonski (Shefiiled, Mass./Mount Everett) threw seven scoreless innings in game two, improving to 15-5 on the season. Despite earning the loss in the circle in game one, freshman Stephanie Bryden (10-9) (Orlando, Fla/East River) recorded four strikeouts in five and one third innings including her 100^th career punch out. 

Danielle Vega (Rialto, Calif./Aquinas) went four-for-six at the plate with a pair of doubles and one walk while Kendall McKinney (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett) hit .500 on the day with two RBI and her seventh home run of the season.

Furman jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first but the Spartans tied it up after back-to-back sacrifice flies by Nicole Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) and Vega.

The Paladins plated four runs in the top of the fourth to jump ahead 6-2 and chase Bryden out of the game. Danica Bishop (Irvine, Calif./Nebraska) came in to relieve her and gave up a two-run home run to the first batter she faced but bounced back to strikeout Sarah Windham.

McKinney's doubled to left center, which plated a Spartan run, and cut the deficit to three, 6-3.

Furman added a run in the top of the fifth inning and after back-to-back walks by Bishop to start the sixth Bryden re-entered the circle for UNCG.

The Paladins plated two more runs that inning to take a 9-3 lead. UNCG battled through and scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning looking for their third-straight SoCon walk-off but came up short when Tory Wright (Potomac Falls, Va./Dominion) hit an unlucky line drive right to Furman's first baseman's glove to end the game.

In game two, UNCG took a one-run lead in the bottom of the first when a double by Vega scored Lindsay Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) who led off the inning with a double of her own.

UNCG added a run in the bottom of the third and McKinney's solo home run a inning later added insurance to the Spartans lead, one which the Paladins could not overcome.

Bazonski tallied five strikeouts while allowing just six hits in her seven innings of work. Vega went two-for-three at the plate with one RBI as the only Spartan to tally a multi-hit game.

UNCG and Furman remain tied in the all-time series, now 36-36, while the Paladins are 9-5 since UNCG's head coach Janelle Breneman came to Greensboro.

First pitch of the rubber match is slated for 1 p.m. Sunday at the UNCG Softball Stadium. Fans not in attendance can watch all the action live on the SoCon Digital Network with UNCG's Parker Southern and Luke Martin on the call.

-UNCG-