JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – In a Mother's Day rubber match at Thomas Stadium Sunday afternoon, the Wofford baseball team went toe-to-toe with ETSU early before the Buccaneers pulled away in the later innings en route to a 9-3 win. The Terriers fall to 29-24 (6-12 SoCon) as the Bucs improve to 37-13 (13-5 SoCon).
 
Four Terriers pitched in the contest with starter Branton Little (4-6) suffering the loss. He pitched 4.0 frames with four runs allowed on six hits and four walks with four strikeouts. Grant Comstock, Braden Hofmeyer, and Noah McMahon combined to pitch the remaining four innings.
 
ETSU used just two pitchers with starter Michael Harpster (6-3) picking up the win after 6.1 innings of action and just two runs allowed on eight hits.
 
Both teams reached double-digit hits with ETSU compiling 13 alongside Wofford's 10. Lucas Manning led the Terriers with three base knocks and an RBI. Tyler Bak and Tyler Hare each posted two hits to join him as a trio with multiple. Hare and Ryan Wynn each recorded an RBI. Niko Brini recorded his fifth triple of the campaign to pair with Hare's solo homer, his fourth long ball of the year, as Wofford's lone two extra-base hits.
 
ETSU claimed the first run with an RBI double in the bottom of the first, but back-to-back strikeouts by Branton Little limited to damage to just a 1-0 Buccaneer edge.
 
Wofford responded in the top of the second to pull level. A well-timed hit and run for the Terriers put runners on the corners for Lucas Manning, who delivered an RBI single to right to tie the game at 1-1.
 
The Bucs pulled back in front in the bottom of the second with an RBI triple for a 2-1 lead.
 
Continuing to trade blows, Wofford pulled even again in the top of the third. Niko Brini hit a lead-off triple, and Ryan Wynn brought him in with an RBI groundout for a 2-2 score.
 
The back-and-forth streak continued in the bottom of the third when a two-run single for the Bucs lifted them back ahead by a score of 4-2.
 
After a quite fourth, ETSU added two more in the fifth with an RBI double and RBI single back-to-back. The margin swung to 6-2.
 
The ETSU lead extended in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of run-scoring singles, moving the Buc advantage to 8-2.
 
A fielder's choice allowed another run to score in the bottom of the eighth as ETSU stretched the lead to 9-2 going into the final inning.
 
Tyler Hare clubbed an opposite-field solo shot in the top of the ninth, but it was all the Terriers could get in their last chance as ETSU held on for a 9-3 victory to claim the series.
 
Wofford returns home to host the final three games of the regular season this week, welcoming VMI to Russell C. King Field. The series opens on Wednesday, May 14, with a first pitch of 5:30 p.m. The Friday finale will serve as senior day.