SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford baseball team swept a doubleheader against Mercer on Friday at Russell C. King Field to clinch the Southern Conference regular season championship for the first time in school history.
 
In the first game, Wofford was up 4-0 after three innings and added four runs in the fourth inning on the way to the 10-3 final score. The Terriers scored three runs in the third inning of the second game and added two runs in the fifth inning for a 5-0 lead. They scored a run in the sixth inning and held on for the 6-0 shutout win.
 
Wofford is 35-19 overall and 21-9 in the SoCon. The 21 league wins are the most in school history, topping the previous best of 15 in 2018 and the .700 winning percentage is best in school history as well. Mercer is 35-20 on the season and 18-9 in league play. Wofford won the weekend series and on the season the teams split the six games.
 
GAME ONE NOTABLES

• Prior to first pitch of the first game, Wofford honored the seven seniors in the program playing in their final home series. Elliot Carney, Colin Davis, Jake Dippold, Lawson Hill, Michael Wynne, David Yourke and Jake Zoller were those recognized.
• The Terriers had 13 hits in the game to eight for the Bears. Nolen Hester had three hits and two runs scored, while Shane Lussier had three RBIs. Colby Thomas led Mercer with three hits.
• Wofford starter Dom Marcoccio (3-0) went a career-long six innings with a career-high six strikeouts. He allowed three runs on seven hits and did not issue a walk. Matthew Marchal earned his second save of the season by going the final three innings with one hit allowed and two strikeouts.
• Tommy Greene (4-3) started for Mercer and allowed four runs on six hits in 2.2 innings. Robert Bennett walked one batter. Zach Turner worked an inning with four runs allowed on four hits. Fred Wilson went two innings with one run allowed on two hits. Wesley Franklin walked two batters. Garrett Sloan went the final 2.1 innings with one run allowed on one hit.

 
GAME ONE HOW IT HAPPENED

• Mercer opened the game with a pair of singles but neither runner was able to advance. Wofford was retired in order in the bottom of the first and the Bears left two runners on base in the top of the second.
• With one out in the bottom of the second, Jack Renwick and John Dempsey singled. A single by Brennen Dorighi with an out at second base gave the Terriers runners on the corners. Shane Lussier had an RBI single to give Wofford a 1-0 lead. Mercer was retired in order in the top of the third.
• Wofford led off the third inning with a single by Nolen Hester and Colin Davis was hit by a pitch. A sacrifice bunt advanced the runners and an infield single by Trey Yunger added a run. A fielder's choice resulted in Davis out at home plate on the play, but a walk to John Dempsey loaded the bases. A walk to Brennen Dorighi allowed a run to score and Shane Lussier was hit by a pitch to make it 4-0 before a strikeout ended the inning with three runners stranded.
• After the Bears were retired in order in the top of the fourth, Nolen Hester doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch. A double by Colin Davis scored Hester for a 5-0 game and Lawson Hill singled to put runners on the corners. A fielder's choice by Trey Yunger drove in Davis and a home run to right field by John Dempsey gave Wofford an 8-0 lead. It was his fifth home run of the season.
• The Bears got one run back in the top of the fifth with a solo home run. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, a single by Nolen Hester and back-to-back walks loaded the bases but a fly ball stranded the runners.
• Mercer was retired in order in the top of the sixth inning. John Dempsey walked with one out and Brennen Dorighi doubled. A sacrifice fly by Shane Lussier pushed the lead to 9-1. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases before a fly ball ended the inning.
• In the top of the seventh, Mercer led off with a pair of singles to put runners on the corners. A double drove in one run and a sacrifice fly made it a 9-3 game. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Trey Yunger tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jack Renwick for a 10-3 lead.
• The Bears were retired in order in the eighth and Wofford stranded one runner after an error. In the ninth, Mercer had one out and two on base after a walk and single. With two outs a walk loaded the bases but a fielder's choice ended the game with a 10-3 final margin.

 
GAME TWO NOTABLES

• Elliot Carney (6-3) started for Wofford and went seven innings without allowing a run. He gave up five hits and struck out nine batters without issuing a walk. He now has 101 strikeouts on the season, becoming the ninth player in school history to reach that milestone. Dalton Rhadans went the final two innings with one hit allowed and two strikeouts.
• It was the fourth shutout by the Terriers in SoCon play this season and all four of them have been with Carney on the mound.
• Wofford had twelve hits in the game, with two each by Colin Davis, Lawson Hill, Brennen Dorighi and Matty Brown. Brown and Trey Yunger had two RBIs each. The Bears had six hits, led by Garett Delano with two.
• Mercer starter Jackson Kelley (3-4) worked 2.1 innings with three runs allowed on five hits. Taylor Lobus went 2.2 innings with two runs allowed on three hits and four strikeouts. David Moore went two-thirds of an inning with one run allowed on two hits. Josh Farmer threw the final 2.1 innings with two hits allowed and three strikeouts.

 
GAME TWO HOW IT HAPPENED

• With two outs, the Bears had back-to-back singles in the top of the first but stranded both runners. Colin Davis singled with one out, however was caught stealing and a strikeout ended the first inning.
• Mercer left a runner on base in the second and third innings after singles. Wofford led off the third inning with a single by Brennen Dorighi and a bunt single from Shane Lussier. A triple to the right field corner by Matty Brown gave the Terriers a 2-0 lead. Colin Davis walked with one out and a double by Lawson Hill made it 3-0 but there were two runners stranded in scoring position at the end of the inning.
• Elliot Carney struck out the side in the top of the fourth inning and Wofford was retired in the bottom of the frame. After Mercer went in order in the top of the fifth, Colin Davis singled with two outs and Lawson Hill added a single. A single by Trey Yunger drove in both runners to take a 5-0 advantage.
• In the top of the fifth, the Bears had a runner reach on a wild pitch/strikeout. With two outs, Jack Renwick made a diving catch on the third base line and made the throw to first for the third out.
• Wofford had two runners on base in the bottom of the sixth when Nolen Hester walked to load the bases. A wild pitch advanced the runners for a 6-0 advantage before a fly ball ended the inning.
• The Bears had a double to lead off the seventh inning but was stranded. Wofford had a single by Jack Renwick in the bottom half but he was caught stealing third to end the frame. Mercer was retired in order in the top of the eighth.
• With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Brennen Dorighi singled and took second on a fielding error on the play. Back-to-back strikeouts sent the game to the ninth inning. Mercer led off with a single and with one out had a walk. A fielder's choice had runners on the corners with two outs was followed by a strikeout to end the game.

 
UP NEXT
Wofford will head to Greenville and Fluor Field for the Southern Conference Tournament. The Terriers will open on Thursday, May 27 at 3:30 p.m. as the #1 seed against #4 seed Western Carolina.