SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the opening game of a weekend conference series, the Wofford College baseball team was defeated 8-3 by Samford at Russell C. King Field. The Bulldogs, who lead the nation in home runs, hit three in the first inning and added four runs in the fourth inning on the way to the Friday night victory.
 
Wofford is 28-15 overall and 6-6 in the Southern Conference. Samford is 23-17 overall, with a 10-3 mark in conference play to sit in first place. The Terriers were held to six hits in the contest, with Matt Ramsay and Mack Nathanson each driving in runs on singles. The Bulldogs had twelve hits, led by Hunter Swilling with four hits and three RBIs.
 
The Bulldogs got things started with three solo home runs in the first inning. Hunter Swilling, Austin Edens and Alex Lee each hit the ball over the fence in left field for a 3-0 advantage.  The Terriers were retired in order in the bottom of the first inning. Both teams left one runner on base in the second inning.
 
Samford opened the third inning with a single, but three straight strikeouts ended the top half. With one out in the bottom of the third, Derek Hirsch walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. A fly ball advanced Hirsch to third and a single through the left side by Matt Ramsay drove him in for a 3-1 score.
 
In the top of the fourth, Samford led off with a double and a single. A single by Richard Greene drove in a run for a 4-1 advantage. A fielder's choice and sacrifice bunt put runners in scoring position. A single to right field by Hunter Swilling drove in two runs to give the Bulldogs a 6-1 lead. Heath Quinn added an RBI single for a 7-1 lead in the middle of the fourth inning. Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Bulldogs left one runner on base in the top of the fifth inning.
 
With one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Pete Carrier had a pinch hit single through the left side. A double play ended the fifth inning. Samford had a walk to start the sixth inning, but a double play and strikeout ended the top half. Alec Paradowski singled and Matt Ramsay was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the sixth. A single by James Plaisted, along with a fielding error, scored Paradowski for a 7-2 score. Wofford left two runners on base at the end of the sixth inning.
 
Samford stranded a pair of runners in the top of the seventh after a walk and a single. Wofford led off the bottom of the seventh with a single by Kody Ruedisili and Trace Witt was hit by a pitch. Both runners were stranded as a fielder's choice ended the seventh inning. In the top of the eighth, Samford had a single and three strikeouts.
 
Wofford opened the bottom of the eighth with a walk by James Plaisted. With two outs, a pinch hit single through the left side by Mack Nathanson scored Plaisted for a 7-3 game. A fly ball ended the eighth inning. Samford led off the ninth with a triple and a sacrifice fly by Heath Quinn made it an 8-3 advantage. The Terriers were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
 
Wofford starting pitcher Matt Milburn (8-1) went five innings with a season-high seven runs allowed on nine hits. He struck out seven batters and did not issue a walk as he suffered his first loss of the season. Grant Byers went two innings with one hit allowed and two strikeouts. David Ehmen allowed one hit and struck out a career-high three batters in one inning on the mound. Merritt Huber added an inning with one run allowed on a hit with a strikeout.
 
Alex Ledford (6-3) started for Samford and went eight innings with three runs allowed on six hits. He walked three batters and struck out seven for the victory. Mark Donham pitched the ninth inning and did not allow a base runner.
 
Wofford will continue the series on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.