SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning propelled the Wofford College baseball team to a 6-5 win over Western Carolina on Friday at Russell C. King Field. The Catamounts scored twice in the first inning and Wofford plated two runs in the third inning. After Western Carolina scored a run in the sixth inning, the Terriers scored three in the seventh for a 5-3 lead. Two runs in the top of the eighth by the Catamounts tied the game, but the Terriers scored in the bottom of the ninth for the win.
Wofford is 15-10 overall and 4-3 in the Southern Conference, while Western Carolina is 13-6 with a 2-1 mark in league play. The two teams will continue the series on Saturday with a doubleheader. Wofford had eight hits to twelve for Western Carolina, as the Catamounts left 13 runners on base in the game.
NOTABLES
- Nolen Hester tied a career-high with three hits and had an RBI. Colin Davis hit his sixth home run of the season and 30th of his career as he drove in two runs.
- The Catamounts were led by Will Prater with four hits and two RBIs.
- Wofford pitcher Hayes Heinecke worked 5.1 innings with three runs allowed on six hits and four strikeouts. Dalton Rhadans (3-0) threw 3.2 innings with two runs allowed on six hits, along with three strikeouts.
- Western Carolina starter Zebby Matthews went 6.1 innings with four runs allowed on seven hits and five strikeouts. Davis Tyndall gave up one run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning. Zach Franklin (2-2) allowed one run in 1.2 innings with three strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the top of the first inning, the Catamounts loaded the bases on two hits and a walk. With one out, a single up the middle drove in two runs for a 2-0 lead.
- Nolen Hester led off the bottom of the first with a double, but he was stranded at third base to end the inning. Western Carolina left two on base in the top of the second inning and Zeb Roos had a double for the Terriers in the bottom of the second.
- Wofford had one out in the bottom of the third inning when Nolen Hester singled. Colin Davis then hit a home run out to left field to tie the game at 2-2.
- The Catamounts had the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the sixth inning when a walk made it 3-2. A ground out left three runners on base.
- Trey Yunger doubled to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning and with one out a double by Jack Renwick scored Yunger to make it a 3-3 game. Renwick advanced to third and home on back-to-back wild pitches. Shane Lussier walked and scored from first on a double down the right field line by Nolen Hester to give Wofford a 5-3 advantage.
- With two outs and a runner on first, a double off the wall by the Catamounts cut the score to 5-4 and a single tied the game.
- Western Carolina left one runner on base in the top of the ninth after a single. Zeb Roos was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Jack Renwick was intentionally walked and the runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. With two outs, Nolen Hester was at the plate when a passed ball allowed Roos to score the winning run.
QUOTABLE
Outfielder
Nolen Hester – "It was a very competitive game that went back and forth. There were a lot of good things and some bad things. We played good defense and our pitchers competed really well. At the plate we were focused on being more aggressive this weekend and I thought we did a good job of that. I wanted to set the tempo as the lead-off hitter and I was able to get some good swings on the ball."
UP NEXT
Wofford and Western Carolina will play a pair of nine-inning contests on Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. The teams will also play a three-game series in Cullowhee on May 14 and 15.
