SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Starter Zac Cowan hurled a career performance with 13 strikeouts in 5.2 innings as his offense again provided plenty of run support for a Wofford baseball victory over Lafayette, 16-2. In taking game two Saturday evening at Russell C. King Field, the Terriers claim the series and improve to 11-2 on the season with Lafayette falling to 1-11.
 
Cowan (2-0) earned the win with his gem, allowing only two runs in 5.2 innings with five hits and three walks, but the highlight was his 13 strikeouts. Those punchouts are a career high and the most by a Terrier since Matthew Marchal's 15 in last season's SoCon Tournament against UNCG. Kenny Michaels followed Cowan with 2.1 scoreless and hitless innings, his lone blemish a walk. He added three strikeouts of his own. Branton Little tossed the final inning and surrendered a walk while adding a punchout.
 
"I went out there and trusted my preparation," said Cowan of his career day on the bump. "I had a good pregame and trusted my teammates behind me, and it ended up being a good outing."
 
In all, Wofford tallied 17 strikeouts, two shy of the program's single-game record. It's the highest strikeout total pitched by the Terriers since a record-tying 19 against Western Carolina in April of 2021.
 
Leopard starter Tristan Helmick (0-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on two hits and three walks in 2.1 innings.
 
With 16 hits, the Terrier offense also showed out. Six total batters recorded a two-hit outing, led by Marshall Toole with his four RBI and a massive homer off the right field scoreboard. Dixon Black and Daniel Jackson each added three RBI with their two-hit efforts, and Brice Martinez and Jack Renwick tallied two RBI with their duo of hits. David Wiley added a walk with his two hits, as did Martinez. Both of Jackson's base knocks were doubles, and both of Black's went for extra bases with a double and a long ball.
 
"I think it's everybody just staying true to themselves and playing their own game," said Toole of the offense's success this season. "That just leads to us having a really productive offense."
 
The Terriers also swiped seven bags in the contest. The most notable was Renwick's which was the 85^th of his career, tying Brett Rodriguez for the most by a Terrier ever. The senior shortstop needs just one more steal to claim sole possession of the program record.
 
After two-and-a-half quite innings, the contest seemed to be showing the makings of a pitchers' duel, but in the bottom of the third the Terrier bats exploded to life with 10 runs, Wofford's second 10-run inning of the season. The scoring opened with a Dixon Black double to left that plated a pair. Brice Martinez singled home two runs, and Daniel Jackson drove home two more with a double. Later on with the bases loaded, a throw home sailed away to allow two more to score. Jack Renwick and Marshall Toole hit back-to-back RBI singles for two more runs, concluding the onslaught for a 10-0 advantage.
 
After a scoreless fourth, the Terriers got back to work in the fifth. Renwick put down a well-placed bunt single to push across a run to open up what turned into a six-run inning. Toole then clobbered a three-run bomb off the scoreboard in right field, and Black followed with his own homer to left center, Wofford's first back-to-back homers of the season. Later in the inning, Jackson added an RBI double for a 16-0 lead.
 
Lafayette avoided the shutout with two runs in the sixth off a single to left, but it would be all it could muster. The Leopards were held in check from there as the Terrier bullpen sealed the 16-2 win and the series.
 
Wofford looks for the sweep with game three tomorrow afternoon. Note that first pitch has changed to 2:00 p.m. from its original time of 1:00 p.m.