Box Score Game Box (pdf)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford baseball team gave up five runs in the first inning to Furman on the way to a 13-3 defeat on Saturday afternoon at Russell C. King Field. The Paladins built a ten run lead after six innings to even the weekend series.
Wofford is now 14-23 on the season and 5-12 in the Southern Conference. Furman is 19-15 overall and 7-10 in conference play. The Terriers were led by Seth Neely with a 4-of-5 performance from the plate. Furman was led by Jordan Simpson with four hits and five RBIs.
The Paladins began the game with two walks and a double by Taylor Johnson drove in one run. Paul Nitto reached on an error to add a run, while an RBI double by Alex Abrams made it 3-0. Singles from Harrison Farmer and Jordan Simpson pushed the lead to 5-0 before a double play ended the top of the first.
Wofford led off the bottom of the second with a single by Seth Neely, but he was stranded when the inning ended. In the top of the fourth, the Paladins had runners reach on a walk and hit by pitch. With two outs, a two-base fielding error on a fly ball allowed both runners to score for a 7-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, Wofford opened with singles by Seth Neely and James Plaisted before a caught stealing and two strikeouts ended the scoring chance. After a scoreless fifth, Furman added three runs in the top of the sixth inning. A single by Chris Ohmstede drove in one run, while a triple from Jordan Simpson scored two runs for a 10-0 advantage.
The Terriers loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with two singles and a walk. A single by Matthew Pelt drove in Seth Neely, but Wofford left three runners on base with a 10-1 score to end the sixth. After a scoreless seventh, the Paladins added two more runs on an RBI single from Jordan Simpson to make it a 12-1 game. Wofford had two runners on base in the bottom of the eighth, but a double play ended the inning.
In the top of the ninth with the bases loaded, a sacrifice fly by Zack Greenwell pushed the lead to 13-1. Wofford had a walk and a single by Matt Moore in the bottom of the ninth. Derek Hirsch hit a double to drive in one run, which was his first career hit. An RBI single from Seth Neely made it a 13-3 contest before a fielder’s choice ended the game.
Wofford starter Luke Leftwich (2-4) gave up five runs on two hits and did not record an out. Connell Anderson worked 3.2 innings with two unearned runs allowed on four hits with one strikeout. Matthew Milburn added 2.1 innings and gave up three runs on three hits with two strikeouts. Dominick del Monte threw 1.2 innings with two runs allowed on three hits. Bradley Evsich went 1.1 innings with one run allowed on one hit with a career-high three strikeouts.
Furman starter Alex Abrams (3-0) went six innings and allowed one run on six hits with six strikeouts. Elliott Warford threw two innings and did not allow a hit with one strikeout. Ryan Griffith threw the ninth with two runs allowed on three hits.
The Terriers complete the three-game Southern Conference series against Furman on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. On Wednesday night, Wofford will host USC Upstate.
