SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Tuesday night at Fifth Third Park in downtown Spartanburg was historic as the city's two Division I baseball programs, Wofford and USC Upstate, battled in the ballpark's first-ever game. The Terriers claimed a 5-2 triumph behind stellar pitching and early scoring, improving to 21-9 on the season. Upstate drops to 14-14 on the year.
 
"It means everything," said head coach J.J. Edwards. "I consider myself a local being here for 14 years now, so it's just great to see the city grow and for us to be able to bring Wofford College and Upstate over here and have a great atmosphere. We're fortunate enough to win, but it's more the environment and atmosphere. This is something you're going to say for the rest of your life, and I'm just happy we're here and partaking in it and even more excited we won."
 
Fifth Third Park is the home of Spartanburg's new minor league team, the High-A Hub City Spartanburgers. The contest tonight was the first baseball game in the ballpark with the Terriers earning the historic victory in front of a rousing crowd of 3,662.
 
"It was really cool," said senior Michael Sills of pitching in front of the lively crowd. "It was surprising at first whenever I came out, but I thought I handled it well."
 
A trio of Terriers toed the rubber to hold Upstate in check. Sheldon Egger (1-1) picked up his first win as a Terrier after pitching a career-long 5.1 innings, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out five to match his career best. John Gray was the middle man, hurling 1.2 scoreless and hitless frames, striking out one. Michael Sills (1) secured his first-career save after polishing off the final 2.0 frames. He struck out two and did not allow a run or hit with his only blemish being a walk.
 
"It was super special," said Egger. "I couldn't be happier to be here. It was an awesome team win."
 
"It was awesome. The atmosphere was great; the field was great," added Gray. "It was just a lot of fun, and I'm glad to be a part of it."
 
Spartan starter Alex Sanderson (1-1) suffered the loss after surrendering three runs in 3.0 innings on four hits and four walks.
 
Wofford recorded eight hits in the contest, doubling Upstate's total of four. The Terriers also doubled up the number of free passes, drawing six walks while issuing just three. Ryan Wynn and James Layman led the way with two hits apiece. Layman added two walks to reach base safely four times. David Wiley notched a hit and RBI, and he reached three times with a pair of walks. Andrew Mannelly had one hit with three RBI, notching a pair of sacrifice flies to match Wofford's single-game program record. Wofford had two extra-base hits with Tyler Hare clubbing a double and Niko Brini legging out a triple.
 
The Terriers swiped six bases with Tanner Hardin and Layman each collecting two. Hare and Wiley posted one each.
 
After Sheldon Egger set a tone in the top of the first with a trio of punchouts, the Terriers got on the board quickly with two runs in the bottom of the first. Tyler Hare doubled, and David Wiley worked a two-out walk. A double steal put runners on second and third, and a wild pitch on ball four to James Layman brought in Hare for the ballpark's first run. Andrew Mannelly then hit an RBI single to provide a 2-0 edge.
 
Upstate immediately pulled level in the top of the second. An RBI double preceded an RBI single to tie up the game 2-2.
 
Wofford reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly by Mannelly. After taking the 3-2 lead, the Terriers would not look back.
 
The bottom of the fifth saw two Terrier insurance runs score to provide more of a gap. Ryan Wynn led off the inning with a single and reached third on an errant throw on a pick-off attempt. David Wiley promptly singled him home. Layman's single was followed by a wild pitch, and Wiley came home on another Mannelly sacrifice fly. The Terriers led 5-2.
 
That is where the score would stand as the Wofford bullpen shut the game down. Upstate threatened in the top of the sixth after back-to-back one-out walks. John Gray came on to pitch and recorded two quick outs to stifle the potential rally.
 
He stranded two more runners in the seventh, passing the baton to Michael Sills for eighth. The senior put the Spartans down in order, and despite issuing a two-out walk in the ninth, Sills struck out the final batter to secure the historic victory.
 
Wofford returns to its home ballpark this weekend with Southern Conference action against Samford. The three-game series begins Friday with first pitch set for 5:30 p.m. at Russell C. King Field.
 
Notable Fifth Third Park Firsts Achieved by Terriers:

• Strikeout pitched: Sheldon Egger
• Extra-base hit: Tyler Hare (double)
• Walk drawn: David Wiley
• Run scored: Tyler Hare
• RBI: Andrew Mannelly
• Triple: Niko Brini
• Pitching win: Sheldon Egger
• Save: Michael Sills