SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford baseball team found itself tied up 2-2 late with offense hard to come by for either squad Sunday afternoon until an offensive explosion plated nine runs between the seventh and eighth innings to lift the Terriers to an 11-3 victory over Kent State at Russell C. King Field.
 
Behind a pair of four-baggers from Ryan Galanie, Wofford notched its first sweep of the season to improve to 6-1. Kent State falls to 2-4. The Terrier winning streak now rests at six games.
 
Sophomore Lucas Mahlstedt (1-0) earned the win in relief for the Terriers, hurling the final 3.2 innings with five punchouts. He surrendered just one run on four hits with no walks. Matthew Marchal started for Wofford, tossing 4.0 innings with two runs (one earned) on just two hits. He issued no walks and struck out six. Champ Davis was the middle arm, pitching 1.1 innings with just a walk and one hit, holding the Golden Flashes scoreless.
 
Kent State reliever Richie Dell (0-2) was tabbed with the loss after giving up three runs on three hits in 2.0 innings of work.
 
Four different Terriers recorded two-hit games, led by Ryan Galanie. Both of the senior's hits were home runs, his first multi-homer contest of the campaign. The first was a three-run bomb before a grand slam in the following inning for seven total RBI.
 
"It felt good. We were just trying to get some runs in, and it happened to leave the yard. So it was a great feeling," said Galanie.
 
Dixon Black, Cameron Gill and Connor Larson each joined Galanie with two hits. Larson drove in a pair of runs. Gill worked a walk to reach base three times.
 
"Coach is always telling me to stay back, stay late, and I did that a couple times," said the sophomore Larson of his first-career two-hit day. "Not trying to rush myself… I was just telling myself, 'Slow down. You've been in this situation before.' Just learning to hit it the other way and it'll pan out, and it did [today]."
 
Wofford opened the scoring in the first when a throwing error allowed Brice Martinez to score for the early 1-0 lead.
 
In the top of the second, Kent State bounced back with a solo home run to pull level at 1-1.
 
The Terriers took advantage of another error in the bottom of the frame when an errant throw brought Dixon Black around to score, giving Wofford a 2-1 lead.
 
In the top of the third, the Golden Flashes used an RBI double to tie the score once more, 2-2.
 
The pitchers settled in from there, as each of the next four innings were scoreless. That all changed in the bottom of the seventh when the Terriers found a rhythm. Cameron Gill and Connor Larson each singled to open the frame. Marshall Toole laid down a bunt and reached when the throw went to third, beating Gill for the out. But Ryan Galanie stepped up next, and he unloaded on a pitch, sending it to right center for a three-run blast and a new Terrier lead, 5-2.
 
The game unraveled in the next inning for Kent State when Wofford added six more. With three on, Larson laced a single through the right side to bring two of them home. An infield single for Toole loaded the based once more for Galanie. The senior slugger found a way to top his previous blast by lifting a grand slam to right field to make the score 11-2.
 
An RBI single in the top of the ninth provided a pride run for the Golden Flashes, but Lucas Mahlstedt made sure that was all they got. He sealed the 11-3 victory and the Terrier sweep.
 
"I thought today, it took us a little while to score runs, but I didn't really think our offense was playing poorly," said associate head coach J.J. Edwards. "It was just a matter of time before it started to click, and as we saw late in the game, it kind of blew up for us in a good way. I was just proud of our guys for everybody doing their one-ninth going forward."
 
Wofford continues its homestand with a Tuesday night contest against Winthrop. First pitch against the Eagles is slated for 6:00 p.m. at Russell C. King Field.