JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Wofford baseball team began its four-game Florida trip on the right note with a 10-4 triumph Wednesday night over North Florida at Harmon Stadium. The Terriers will improve to 22-9 with the victory as the Ospreys drop to 16-14 with their defeat.
 
This was the first-ever meeting between the programs. UNF is the fourth different first-time opponent the Terriers have faced this season, and Wofford remains perfect at 7-0 now on the campaign against first-time opponents (Towson, Bucknell and FDU).
 
The Terriers utilized only three arms in the contest with the middle man, Branton Little (1-0), picking up the win out of the bullpen. Little put forth the best performance of his career, tossing 4.1 innings for his longest outing yet. He allowed only one run on four hits and one walk with a trio of strikeouts. Mason Compton started for Wofford, pitching 3.2 innings with three runs allowed on four hits and two walks. His three punchouts matched his career high. Alec Bouchard pitched a scoreless ninth inning, the lone blemish on his line a base hit.
 
"I think the biggest thing is just getting two pitches on the plate right away, coming in and attacking with your stuff, trusting your preparation," said Little of entering with a bases-loaded jam.
 
UNF starter Will Ross (0-1) suffered the loss after surrendering six runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks with no strikeouts.
 
Though the Ospreys slightly outhit the Terriers, 9-8, Wofford made the most of its knocks. UNF had three extra-base hits, all doubles, but two of Wofford's three extra-base knocks were round-trippers. The Ospreys also left nine runners stranded whereas only five Terriers were left on base. Wofford limited its miscues as well, providing only three walks and committing no errors. Meanwhile, UNF was guilty of two errors and granted five free passes to Wofford.
 
Brice Martinez showed out at the plate, recording half of the Wofford base knocks to push his hitting streak to 17 games in a row. His four-hit game is the first for him on the campaign and the fifth of his career. Martinez drove home three runs while scoring two. He clubbed on of the two Terrier long balls, his third of the season. The fifth-year senior also swiped one of the three Wofford steals.
 
Jack Renwick owned the other Terrier homer in the game, his first of the season, to drive in two runs. Marshall Toole matched Martinez with three RBI, all coming on his one hit, a double. Toole has extended his on-base streak to 31 games.
 
David Wiley and Tyler Bak joined Martinez with a stolen base each. Five Terriers worked a walk in the game, with Toole and Renwick both adding a free pass to their base hits to reach twice in the contest.
 
"Our offense was in rhythm tonight, and it comes down to swinging at good pitches," said Martinez of the continued offensive success. "But ultimately we have guys like [Tyler Hare], who got down a safety. He's a guy you'd say is a home run hitter, but at the end of the day he's getting down safeties and doing what he needed to do to win. So that's why our offense clicks."
 
Wofford threatened in the first inning but left two runners stranded. However, after also holding UNF to zero in the first, the Terriers broke through with authority in the second. An error and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Marshall Toole, who kept his hot streak rolling with a double into left center field that cleared the bases and got Wofford on the board. Andrew Mannelly wore a pitch to join Toole on the basepaths, and Brice Martinez brought everyone home by lacing a ball over the left field wall for his third homer of the season, granting Wofford a quick 6-0 advantage.
 
After a scoreless third, UNF got onto the board with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Back-to-back bases-loaded walks began the scoring, and a single into left followed and plated one more. The margin was halved, 6-3.
 
The Terriers blasted a response a couple innings later. With David Wiley on first base, Jack Renwick connected on a pitch that rocketed well past the left field fence. The two-run blast was Renwick's first of the season, and it pushed the Wofford lead to 8-3.
 
In the following frame, the Terriers tacked on two more. Three-straight singles to open the top of the seventh brought home one run with that final base knock coming off the bat of Daniel Jackson. Runners were on the corners for Tyler Hare, who placed down a brilliantly executed sacrifice bunt to score the runner from third, making the Wofford lead 10-3.
 
The Ospreys returned to the scoring column with a run in the bottom of the eighth by virtue of an RBI double. But they entered the ninth still trailing 10-4.
 
And that is where the margin would remain. Though the Ospreys got a man on base in the final frame, he was left stranded thanks to a web gem in right field with David Wiley's diving catch to help preserve a scoreless inning of work for the freshman Alec Bouchard. The youngster locked down the 10-4 Terrier triumph.
 
Wofford continues its road trip with a weekend set at Florida International beginning Friday night. Game one of the three-game series in Miami is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.