SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Friday night, the Wofford College baseball team defeated N.C. Central 9-1 in the opening game of the weekend series at Russell C. King Field. The Terriers had a 5-0 lead after five innings and added four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to earn the victory.
 
Wofford is 21-7 on the season, while N.C. Central is 11-13 overall. The Terriers had 13 hits in the contest, including three by James Plaisted. Matt Milburn went seven innings on the mound and allowed one run and struck out seven batters. The Eagles were held to four hits on the day.
 
After an hour delay due to rain, the Eagles were retired in order in the top of the first. The Terriers had two outs when James Plaisted singled and moved to second on a fielding error. Matt Pelt added a single that scored Plaisted for a 1-0 lead.  Wofford left two runners on base at the end of the first. In the top of the second, the Eagles led off with a walk but a double play ended the top half.
 
Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the second. In the top of the third, the first batter for the Eagles was hit by a pitch. A double by Mitchell McCrary put runners at second and third with one out. A fielder's choice with the runner out at home and a strikeout ended the scoring chance.
 
The Terriers added a single in the bottom of the third by Matt Ramsay, but he was stranded at second to end the inning. In the top of the fourth, N.C. Central was retired in order. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Kody Ruedisili hit a triple to left center. Conor Clancey singled through the right side to drive in a run for a 2-0 lead. A double play ended the fourth inning.
 
The Eagles left one runner on base in the top of the fifth. Derek Hirsch opened the bottom of the fifth with a single up the middle. The Terriers had runners at second and third with two outs when Matt Pelt was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A single by Carson Waln drove in a run and a single by Kody Ruedisili plated two runs for a 5-0 advantage at the end of the fifth inning.
 
In the top of the fifth, back-to-back singles with one out gave the Eagles runners on the corners. A sacrifice fly by Ronald Thompson scored a run to make it a 5-1 game. Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the sixth and N.C. Central went down in order in the top of the seventh. James Plaisted added a double with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but failed to advance.
 
North Carolina Central had runners on the corners with one out in the top of the eighth inning, but a double play ended the scoring opportunity. Wofford loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth on a double by Conor Clancey and singles by Max McDougald and Derek Hirsch. A sacrifice fly by Alec Paradowski gave Wofford a 6-1 lead. A walk to Matt Ramsay loaded the bases again and a wild pitch allowed a run to score. James Plaisted hit a single that drove in two runs and Wofford had a 9-1 lead at the end of the eighth inning. The Eagles were retired in order in the top of the ninth to end the game.
 
Wofford starting pitcher Matt Milburn (6-0) worked seven innings and allowed only one run on three hits. He walked one batter and struck out seven. Spencer Kulman threw the final two innings and allowed one hit and struck out three batters.
 
Jordan Quinn (2-4) started for N.C. Central and went five innings with five runs allowed on eight hits. He struck out two batters and walked two. Jamar Hinton worked three innings and allowed four runs on five hits with two strikeouts.
 
Wofford will continue the three-game weekend series with N.C. Central at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday at Russell C. King Field.