SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After a 5 hour and 45-minute pregame delay, the Wofford baseball team finally took to the diamond, playing Western Carolina to a 2-2 tie before Mother Nature suspended and ultimately forced the rest of the game to be called in the top of the eighth. The Terriers hold a 37-14-1 mark with a SoCon clip of 13-4-1. The Catamounts now sit at 25-25-1 overall and 9-8-1 in league play.
 
The tie is the first for Wofford since 1940, in which the Terriers tied Louisburg 3-3 on March 29 to begin their season. It also results in a series split, 1-1-1, between the two sides.
 
Before the originally scheduled start time of 1:00 p.m., Wofford honored its nine seniors: Matty Brown, Nolen Hester, Brennen Dorighi, John Dempsey, Lawson Hill, Clay Schwaner, Dom Agron, Dalton Rhadans and Josh Vitus. Wofford remains without a loss on senior day since 2017.
 
Dom Marcoccio started on the hill for Wofford, tossing 3.0 innings with two runs allowed on just one hit and two walks with a strikeout. Luke Stephens hurled 2.2 innings of shutout baseball, allowing only one hit and fanning a career-high five batters. Dalton Rhadans pitched the remaining 1.1 innings with no runs, hits or walks surrendered. The senior righty punched out one.
 
After starter Nick Hyde pitched the first 1.1 innings for Western Carolina, reliever Zebby Matthews threw the rest of the 5.2 innings of action. Each allowed a run, though Matthews accrued eight strikeouts.
 
Wofford out-hit Western Carolina 7-2. Only one of the Catamount knocks left the infield – a solo home run in the first. Seniors Nolen Hester and Lawson Hill led the way on their special day with a pair of hits each. Fellow senior John Dempsey notched a hit and an RBI, and Jack Renwick tallied the remaining RBI for Wofford with his hit. Both RBI were by way of doubles. With a walk, Renwick reached base a second time, and Ryan Galanie also collected both a hit and a free pass.
 
After the senior day festivities concluded, the Terriers took to the field ready to play, but lightning in the area forced a delay to the start time. After five hours and 45 minutes of lightning and/or rain, the game was finally able to begin at 6:47 p.m.
 
The Catamounts were not fazed by the long wait, striking first in the top of the first with a solo home run by the game's second batter for a 1-0 lead.
 
The Terriers struck back in the bottom of the second to pull level. Ryan Galanie led the inning off with a walk and advanced to second on a balk. Jack Renwick then doubled him home to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Western Carolina jumped back in front in the top of the third with a sacrifice fly. They carried that 2-1 lead through three scoreless innings.
 
In the bottom of the sixth Wofford evened the score once more. Lawson Hill received a free pass to begin the frame, and John Dempsey followed up by smoking a double just inside the right field line. Hill raced around the bases and slid in safely at the plate to tie the ballgame at 2-2.
 
After a scoreless seventh, the Terriers took to the field once more. With Dalton Rhadans on the bump facing a 3-2 count to Western Carolina batter Bryson Parks, the game was pushed into another delay due to yet another lightning strike. The weather did not relent this time, and eventually the contest was called with both squads having to settle for a 2-2 tie.
 
Wofford hits the road for its final regular season games, traveling to Lexington, Va. for a three-game series at VMI. The set begins on Thursday, May 19 at 6:00 p.m. and runs through Saturday, May 21.