GREENSBORO – The calendar says April. The weather will feel like the February when UNC Greensboro (UNCG) visits Furman in a Southern Conference softball series this weekend.
The Spartans and Paladins will play two games on Friday starting at 1 p.m. and a single game beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday. This will be the fourth home game for Furman, which has had several others canceled.
Temperatures are expected to be comfortable in the 50s, but strong winds that could gust up to 18 miles per hour will be annoying.
UNCG enters this conference series after winning two of three from ETSU last weekend at home. This is Furman's opening SoCon series of the season. UNCG has won seven straight games against Furman. Four of those wins have been in seven or fewer innings, including two of the last three games the last time these squads met in 2019.
UNCG rolls into town leading the SoCon in batting average (.289), doubles (38), home runs per game (1.92), on-base percentage (.412), scoring (7.21), slugging percentage (.575), strikeout to walk ratio (1.78), win-loss percentage (.667), and walks (114).
Four of UNCG's last five games have been decided by one run. Overall, the Spartans won 12 of 16 contests in the month of March.
Furman enters the weekend after dropping two games to Tennessee earlier this week by scores of 11-4 and 7-2. The Paladins had a 4-1 lead in the opening game as freshman
Claire Ginder and Emily Bartlett each blasted solo home runs. Ginder also homered in the second game for Furman.
Bartlett leads Furman with a .298 average and Riley Ludlam has a team best 13 runs batted in.
UNCG returns to action on Wednesday with a mid-week road trip to Appalachian State. That contest starts at 5 p.m.
