Box Score Game Box (pdf)
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – On a cold and wet Saturday night, the Wofford baseball team was defeated 11-4 by Western Carolina at Hennon Stadium. The Catamounts took advantage of the wind blowing out and hit four home runs to win the second game of the weekend series.Â
Wofford is 16-11 on the season and 1-4 in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina is 15-9 overall and 4-1 in the league. The Terriers were led by Josh Hyman with two hits and two runs scored, while James Plaisted had a home run. Adam Martin led the Catamounts with two home runs and four RBIs.
The Terriers opened the game with a single by Josh Hyman and he moved to second on a passed ball. A two-out single by Conor Clancey scored Hyman to take a 1-0 lead. The Catamounts tied the game with a lead-off home run by Aaron Attaway, but left a runner on third base to end the first.
In the top of the second, James Plaisted opened the inning with a solo home run to left field to take a 2-1 lead. It was his third home run of the season. In the bottom of the second, the Catamounts had the bases loaded with two outs. A single by Bradley Strong plated two runs for a 3-2 lead.Â
After Wofford was retired in order in the top of the third, the Catamounts led off with a double in the bottom half of the inning. With runners on the corners, Western Carolina hit into a double play but the runner from third scored for a 4-2 lead. The Terriers added a single from James Plaisted in the top of the fourth, but he was stranded. The Catamounts had two runners on base with two outs when Adam Martin blasted a ball over the left field fence for a 7-2 advantage.
Wofford was retired in the top of the fifth. Luke Gragg led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run over the right field fence to make it an 8-2 game. Three straight walks loaded the bases with nobody out, but two strikeouts and a fly ball ended the scoring chance. Seth Neely had a single, but a double play ended the top of the sixth inning.
The Catamounts had runners on the corners in the bottom of the sixth when a fielder's choice allowed a run to cross the plate for a 9-2 lead. A runner was thrown out at home for the third out in the sixth inning. In the top of the seventh, Eric Brenk led off with a walk and walks were issued to James Plaisted and Matt Kaskow to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by Matt Ramsay drove in Brenk to make it 9-3 at the stretch. Western Carolina was retired in order for the first time in the bottom of the seventh.
Josh Hyman led off the top of the eighth with a double down the left line. Seth Neely reached on an error which scored Hyman to cut the lead to 9-4. The Terriers loaded the bases, but a strikeout ended the scoring chance. The Catamounts opened the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run by Adam Martin, his second of the game, for a 10-4 score. Western Carolina loaded the bases with one out and a wild pitch allowed a run to score to make it 11-4 at the end of eight innings.
In the top of the ninth, Luke Feisal led off with a walk. With two outs, a single by Alec Paradowski gave the Terriers runners on the corners. A strikeout looking ended the game with an 11-4 score.
Wofford pitcher Luke Leftwich (3-2) went four innings and allowed seven runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. Chris Sheehan gave up one run. Jacob Condra-Bogan worked two innings and allowed one unearned run on two hits with two strikeouts. Spencer Kulman went 1.1 innings and allowed two runs on one hit. Elliot Lance went the final two-thirds of an inning and had one strikeout.
Western Carolina starter T.J. Fussell (1-2) threw 7.0 innings with five hits and three runs allowed along with nine strikeouts. Nate Williams allowed one hit and one run in a third of an inning. Jonathan Waszak added a third of an inning with one hit allows. Colton Davis earned the save with 1.1 innings on the mound and one hit allowed plus three strikeouts.
The Terriers will complete the Southern Conference series at Western Carolina on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Next week Wofford will travel to UNC Asheville on Wednesday before a home series against Appalachian State begins on Friday night.
