SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the opening game of a weekend series, the Wofford College baseball team defeated Penn 8-6 at Russell C. King Field on a windy Friday afternoon. The Terriers scored twice in the first inning, but the Quakers were able to tie the game at six in the top of the seventh inning.
McClain Bradley hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh for the lead and the Terriers added a run in the eighth for the 8-6 final.
Wofford improves to 4-5 on the season, while Penn is 1-3. The Terriers had four players with two hits each, including
Brett Rodriguez with two RBIs. The Quakers had two hits and three runs scored by Matt O'Neill, while their defense turned four double plays in the game.
The Quakers left one runner on base in the top of the first after an infield single.
Brett Rodriguez led off the bottom of the first with a single.
McClain Bradley and
Mack Nathanson followed with singles to load the bases. An RBI single by
Cody Miller gave Wofford a 1-0 lead.
Max McDougald hit into a double play, but Bradley scored for a 2-0 advantage.
Matt O'Neill led off the top of the second with a solo home run to cut the lead to 2-1. For Wofford in the second,
Andrew Orzel doubled, but a double play cleared the bases.
Alex Malsch walked and then a triple to left center by Brett Rodiguez made it a 3-1 game. The Quakers added a single in the third inning, but the runner was stranded on second. Wofford was retired in order to end the third inning.
In the top of the fourth, Penn led off with a single. With two outs, an error allowed a run to score for a 3-2 margin.
Andrew Orzel had a single with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but a double play ended the inning. The Quakers were retired in order in the top of the fifth inning.
Alex Malsch doubled to open the Wofford half of the fifth. A sacrifice fly by
Brett Rodriguez scored Malsch for a 4-2 lead.
Mack Nathanson and
Cody Miller walked with two outs. On a double steal, a bad throw allowed Nathanson to score. A single by
Max McDougald drove in Miller for a 6-2 advantage.
Penn added a single to lead off the sixth inning and followed with a walk. A double down the left line drove in both runners to cut the lead to 6-4 and a single down the right line made it a 6-5 game.
Lawson Hill walked with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Hill stole second and third base, but was left in scoring position. With two outs in the top of the seventh, Sean Phelan hit a solo home run to tie the game at 6.
McClain Bradley led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run to give Wofford a 7-6 advantage.
Cody Miller added a single before a double play ended the inning. The Quakers were retired in order in the top of the eighth inning.
Chris Rubottom's first career hit was a double to lead off the bottom of the eighth. He stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly to give Wofford an 8-6 lead. The Terriers left two runners in scoring position at the end of the eighth inning. The Quakers were retired in order to end the game.
Adam Scott started for the Terriers and went six innings with five runs allowed on eight hits. He had ten strikeouts and only one walk, giving him 282 strikeouts for his career. He moved past Anthony Salley (278) and Tom McIntyre (280) to stand at second all-time in school history.
Anthony Garcia (1-0) earned his first win of the season by going three innings with one run allowed on a hit, while striking out five batters.
Penn pitcher Gabe Kleiman threw 5.1 innings with six runs allowed on nine hits. He struck out five and walked four batters. Cole Sichley (1-1) worked two innings with two runs allowed on four hits. Brendan Bean closed the final two-thirds of an inning with one strikeout.
Wofford will continue the three-game series against Penn on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
