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SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Eric Brenk drove in two runs with an infield single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Wofford baseball team a 5-4 comeback win over The Citadel in the opening game of the three-game Southern Conference series Friday night at Russell C. King Field.
Wofford improves to 8-11 overall and 1-3 in the SoCon. The win snapped a six-game losing streak and gave the Terriers their first win in conference play. The Citadel drops to 12-7 overall and 2-2 in the SoCon.
The Bulldogs scored the opening run of the game in the first inning when Mason Davis reached on a single. Davis advanced to second on a pass ball and crossed the plate when Joe Jackson reached on a Terrier error.
Wofford answered the bottom of the first when Alec Paradowski singled down the left field line and Josh Hyman walked. Seth Neely tied the game with a single to left to score Paradowski who slid in just ahead of the tag. Hyman and Neely each advanced a base on the throw to plate. Hyman scored when Brenk reached on an error, and Matthew Ramsay gave the Terriers a 3-1 lead with a safety squeeze to score Neely.
The Citadel threatened in the top of the second with runners on first and second, but Wofford starter Brandon Yarusi induced a fly ball to right to end the inning. After the Terriers when three up and three down in bottom of the second, the Bulldogs tied the game at three following a two-run blast to center field by Tyler Griffin that scored Joe Jackson. Jackson led off the inning with a single. The Bulldogs had runners on first and second with one out, but Yarusi escaped further damage to keep the game tied at three.
In the top of the fifth, Bo Thompson led off with a double to left field, and Tyler Griffin followed with a walk. After a ground ball to short that advanced the runners to second and third with one out. Yarusi recorded a strikeout for the second out, but Bret Hines reached on an error by Wofford. Thompson scored on the play to give the Citadel a 4-3 lead after four and a half innings of play.
After retiring 13-of-14 Wofford batters after the first inning, Bulldog Starter Austin Pritcher found himself in trouble with runners on first and second and nobody out in the bottom of the sixth. Neely singled and Brink reached on an error for the Terriers, but Pritcher settled in and struck the next two Terriers out. Wofford left both runners on base when the inning ended on a soft line drive to short.
For the second consecutive inning Wofford had the first two runners on base, when a pitch hit Demetrius Jennings and Matthew Kaskow reached on a fielder's choice while attempting to sacrifice Jennings to second. Pritcher recorded a strikeout for the first out of the inning and was relived by Zach Sherrill after the strikeout. Following a walk by Hyman to load the bases and a strike, Brenk drove in what proved to be the game-winning two runs with an infield hit up the middle as Wofford retook the lead 5-4. Jennings scored from third and Kaskow scored from second when the Bulldog shortstop dove to attempt to make a ball on the ball. Wofford stranded runners on first and second with a fly out to right field to end the seventh inning.
JD Osborne relived Matthew Milburn, who threw a scoreless seventh, entered for the Terriers in the top of the eighth. Osborne did not allow a runner as he sent the game to the ninth inning after two strikeouts and a fly ball to left.
After Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth, The Citadel opened the inning with a walk off of Wilson, but Eric Eck entered and induced a 5-4-3 double play to clear the bases. Eck picked up his third save of the season with a strikeout to give the Terriers the 5-4 win in the series opener.
Milburn earned the win for Wofford with his scoreless seventh, while Pritcher gets saddled with his first loss of the season after six and a third innings of work. Pritcher was credited with all five runs, only three earned. He also allowed four hits and struck out four batters.
Yarusi scattered 10 hits, allowed four runs, two earned, and recorded four strikeouts in six innings of work to earn the no decision.
Paradowski and Neely led Wofford with two hits each, while Brenk had a team-high two RBI.
Davis and Thompson led The Citadel with two hits each, while Griffin's two-run home run gave him the team's only RBI of the game.
The two teams left 17 total runners on base, 10 for the Bulldogs and seven for the Terriers.
Game two of the series is slated for 3 p.m. Saturday back at Russell C. King field with Jesse Morris on the mound for Wofford and James Reeves for The Citadel.
