CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Wofford College baseball team defeated The Citadel 8-1 at Riley Park on Saturday night to secure the series victory. The Terriers scored in the first innings and added two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth. The Bulldogs plated a run in the sixth but runs by Wofford in the seventh and ninth innings provided the final margin.
Wofford is 28-20 overall and 10-6 in the Southern Conference. The Terriers have won 10 or more SoCon games in each of the last seven seasons. The Citadel is 10-35 on the season and 3-14 in the league. The Terriers were led by
Mike Brown and
John Dempsey with three hits each, while
Hayes Heinecke earned the win with ten strikeouts. With three stolen bases in the game,
Brett Rodriguez moved into second place in school history with 69 career steals. Will Bastian and J.D. Davis had two hits each for the Bulldogs.
With two outs in the top of the first inning,
Hudson Byorick doubled and scored on an RBI single from
Lawson Hill for a 1-0 lead.
John Dempsey added a single, but the Terriers left two on base. The Bulldogs had a single with one out and the runner was caught stealing second. Both teams were retired in order in the second inning.
Mike Brown singled to lead off the third inning. Brown was out at third on a single by
Brett Rodriguez.
Hudson Byorick walked before a double play ended the top half. With one out in the bottom of the third, the Bulldogs had a double before a pair of strikeouts ended the frame.
Both teams were retired in order in the fourth inning.
Andrew Orzel reached on an error to begin the fifth inning and he moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. A double by
Mike Brown had runners in scoring position and a wild pitch plated a run for a 2-0 lead.
Brett Rodriguez added an RBI single and then stole both second and third base where he was stranded. In the bottom of the fifth, the Bulldogs had a batter hit by pitch but was caught stealing second to end the inning.
John Dempsey led off the sixth inning with a single.
Nolen Hester doubled with one out and
Andrew Orzel was intentionally walked to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by
Reed Massey made it a 4-0 game and a single up the middle by
Mike Brown added two more runs for a 6-0 advantage. The Bulldogs opened the bottom of the sixth with a double and followed with a single. A run scored on a wild pitch for a 6-1 game and the next three batters were retired in order.
Brett Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to open the seventh inning and he stole second base.
Hudson Byorick walked and a sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position. A sacrifice fly by
John Dempsey scored Rodriguez for a 7-1 lead.
Colin Davis walked and stole second base, but a strikeout stranded the runners in scoring position at the seventh inning stretch.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs had back-to-back singles. The lead runner was out at third attempting to advance on a wild pitch and a strikeout ended the inning. Wofford was retired in order in the top of the eighth. A single with one out was followed by a Bulldog strikeout and the runner was out on the play as well. The Terriers had one out in the top of the ninth when
Hudson Byorick singled. With two outs
John Dempsey singled to give Wofford runners on the corners. Hudson scored on a double steal for an 8-1 lead. The Bulldogs were retired in order to end the game.
Hayes Heinecke (9-0) started for Wofford and went a career-long eight innings with one run allowed on seven hits. He tied a career-high with ten strikeouts and did not issue a walk. He leads the SoCon with nine wins.
Rasesh Pandya did not allow a hit in an inning with one strikeout.
The Citadel starter Shane Connolly (3-6) threw 5.2 inning with six runs allowed on ten hits, along with two strikeouts. Alex Bialakis gave up one run in 1.1 innings with one strikeout. Morgan Foulks did not allow a hit in an inning. Cole Buffington gave up one run on two hits in the ninth.
Wofford will conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 11:00 a.m., looking for a series swept over the Bulldogs for the second-straight season.
