SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Despite a first-inning run for the Wofford baseball team, the Samford Bulldogs plated five in a row to claim a lead it would not relent Saturday afternoon at Russell C. King Field en route to a 19-5 margin. The Terriers are now 21-11 (2-3 SoCon) as the Bulldogs improve to 16-15 (3-2 SoCon).
 
Cullen Condon (1-1) started as the first of six Terriers to take the mound for Wofford. He was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs in 4.0 innings on five hits despite five punchouts.
 
Evan Steckmesser (2-1) picked up the win in relief for Samford after pitching the final 3.1 innings with two runs allowed.
 
Samford only had four more hits, 16-12, but eight of those 16 knocks for the Bulldogs went for extra bases, including four home runs. Wofford had three extra-base hits.
 
Tyler Bak led the way with four hits for the Terriers as Tyler Hare added three, including a double and triple. He finished a homer shy of the cycle. Hare added an RBI, as did David Wiley and Hunter Herndon. Tanner Hardin collected two RBI. Lucas Manning posted a double off the bench.
 
The Terriers struck first in the bottom of the first with an RBI infield single by David Wiley.
 
The 1-0 edge was short lived, though, as Samford plated five runs over the next three frames, including three in the top of the second. Wofford kept fighting with two in the fourth as Tanner Hardin's single brought home a pair, pulling the Terriers within 5-3.
 
The Bulldogs stretched their lead with three-run homers in each of the fifth and sixth innings. Tyler Hare's RBI triple in the bottom of the sixth made the score 11-4.
 
Samford added one in the top of the seventh and then used a seven-run eighth to push the margin over 10 runs. Hunter Herndon's RBI groundout in the bottom of the eighth would be the last gasp for Wofford as the final margin was 19-5 in favor of Samford.
 
Wofford looks to salvage the series tomorrow afternoon with game three set to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Russell C. King Field. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.