TROY, Ala. – The Wofford baseball team earned an emphatic victory Tuesday night, besting No. 17 Troy 14-3 in eight innings at Riddle-Pace Field. The Terriers were powered by a trio of home runs, including a pair for Andrew Mannelly, to improve to 18-8 entering conference play. The Trojans fall to 18-7.
 
The victory is Wofford's second over a ranked foe this season after downing No. 23 Kentucky 12-5 in game two of the series in Lexington earlier this season. This marks the first time in program history that the Terriers have bested two different ranked teams within the same campaign. The run-rule triumph marks the first such win over a ranked squad in program history.
 
Only three Terriers took the mound with Sheldon Egger getting the starting nod. He hurled 2.2 innings with three runs allowed on five hits. He struck out two with no walks. John Gray (1-0) earned the win out of the bullpen after delivering 2.1 scoreless and hitless innings of work. The only three blemishes to his ledger were a trio of hit batters as he struck out a pair. Alec Bouchard (1) polished off the last 3.0 frames with no runs allowed and just one hit and one walk surrendered. He struck out four to earn his first save of the season and the sixth of his career.
 
Five Trojans pitched with starter Noah Thigpen (0-1) suffering the loss after allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits in 2.1 innings.
 
Wofford outhit Troy 13-6 in the contest with five Terriers collecting multiple knocks. Andrew Mannelly paced the squad with three hits, all for extra bases, with two homers and a double. It's Mannelly's second-career multi-homer game with the long balls serving as his first two of the season. The junior collected three RBI, all off the homers. Ryan Wynn, Tyler Hare, James Layman, and Niko Brini all amassed a pair of hits with each tallying at least one RBI. Layman had two, as did Hutner Herndon with his pinch-hit two-run jack. That marked the first pinch-hit homer by a Terrier since Mary 13, 2023, when Aaron Thomas accomplished the feat against Mercer. Both of Wynn's knocks were doubles with Hare, Layman, and Brini each adding one alongside the aforementioned Mannelly two-bagger.
 
After both teams went down in order in the first inning, Wofford struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the second. A two-out error allowed Tanner Hardin to reach base, and Andrew Mannelly promptly made the Trojans pay by clubbing a two-run homer over the tall right field wall for a 2-0 Terrier advantage.
 
Troy got one run back in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double, halving the margin to 2-1.
 
Wofford responded with two more runs in the top of the third. After Niko Brini led the frame off with a single, Ryan Wynn doubled off the monstrous wall in right to bring Brini home. Three batters later, James Layman laced a single the other way through the left side, scoring Wynn for a 4-1 lead.
 
A two-RBI double brought Troy back within a run in the bottom of the third. The tying run stood 90 feet with two outs late in the frame, John Gray came out of the bullpen and notched a clutch strikeout to strand him there and keep the margin 4-3.
 
The pendulum would swing again in Wofford's favor with three runs in the top of fourth. Mannelly opened up the frame with another towering homer over the right field wall, this one a solo shot. A batter later, Brini doubled. He took advantage of Troy miscues, taking third on a wild pitch and then scoring on a passed ball. Wynn walked and took second on a wild pitch, and he scored on Tyler Hare's double into the right center gap. The Terriers led 7-3.
 
Pitching began to settle in with an inning-and-a-half of scoreless baseball to follow. In the top of the sixth, the Terriers tacked on one more run. Andrew Mannelly continued his torrid night, delivering a lead-off double to right. Lucas Manning bunted him to third, from where he would score on Brini's sacrifice fly. Wofford extended its lead to 8-3.
 
Wofford's offense stretched the margin further with three runs in the top of the seventh. Hare walked to lead off the inning, and Daivd Wiley's single put two on. An error allowed Hare to come home, and Layman followed with an RBI double that just dropped in fair in left field. Hardin's sacrifice fly then pushed the advantage to 11-3.
 
Another three-run frame in the top of the eighth pushed the Terriers over the 10-run threshold. Wynn doubled and Hare singled to open up the inning, and a wild pitch brought Wynn home. Hunter Herndon then delivered a pinch-hit two-run blast to left to push Wofford in front by 11 runs, 14-3.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, the Trojans were unable to avoid the shortened contest as Alec Bouchard set them down in order to seal the 14-3 victory.
 
Wofford remains on the road this weekend to open Southern Conference action at The Citadel. The three-game set in Charleston runs from Friday, March 28, to Sunday, March 30. First pitch Friday night is set for 6:00 p.m. with all three games streaming on ESPN+.