LEXINGTON, Va. –The Wofford baseball team cruised by VMI in a 16-5 seven-inning series opener win at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium on Thursday night. The Terriers (20-10, 4-0) had back-to-back explosive six-run innings on the way to a 14-0 lead after three innings as they remained undefeated in conference play. 

Cullen Condon (3-1) gave up three runs and five hits while striking out six batters in his six-inning start. Cole Draper pitched one inning and gave up two runs on three hits. Niko Brini led the Terriers with three runs on three hits, including a double, a triple, and a home run. Brady Gold followed with two runs on three hits with two RBI. Logan Tribble contributed with one run on two hits with three RBI. Marc Quarrie went 2-4 at the plate with two doubles on the night.

The Terriers were quick to strike after Cade Collins walked to lead off the game. Niko Brini and Logan Tribble hit back-to-back doubles to give Wofford a 2-0 lead. Cullen Condon and the Terriers' defense retired the Keydets quickly before starting the second inning. After Tanner Hardin was hit by a pitch and Lucas Manning walked, Brady Gold doubled down to left field to bring Hardin home for a 3-0 score. A sacrifice fly by Niko Brini would advance Gold to third and drive Manning home for a 4-0 lead. The Terriers' batting order scored four runs in a row after Brady Gold stole home and Ben Timblin and Marc Quarrie doubled down right field, and Hunter Herndon singled to advance Quarrie home for an 8-0 ball game.

Wofford retired the Keydets in order in the bottom of the third inning. With one out in the top of the fourth, Brady Gold homered to centerfield for his first career homerun. The Terriers' heaving hitting didn't stop there, as Cade Collins doubled to right field and Niko Brini homered to advance the Wofford lead to 11-0. The bats continued to stay hot for the Terriers when Ben Timblin hit the third home run of the inning for a 12-0 score. A Hunter Herndon single and a wild pitch to bring Herndon home would close the top of the third with a 14-0 advantage. With two outs in the fourth inning, Niko Brini tripled to right field to put himself in scoring position for the Terriers. Logan Tribble hit an RBI single to drive Brini home for a 15-0 game.

The Keydets saw their first run of the night in the fourth when Grayson Fitzwater stole home to cut the ball game to15-1. The Keydets scored one run in the fifth on an RBI double to right center for a 15-2 score and added one run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Wofford slammed the door on VMI with an RBI single from Tanner Hardin to boost the Terriers lead to 16-3. The Keydets scored two more runs in the seventh on a home run by Fitzwater, but the Terriers turned a double play to end the game in seven innings with a 16-5 score.

Quick Hits:

• Starting Lineup: Cade Collins (3B), Niko Brini (CF), Logan Tribble (LF), Ben Timblin (RF), Marc Quarrie (DH), Hunter Herndon (1B), Tanner Hardin (2B), Lucas Manning (C), Brady Gold (SS) and Cullen Condon (SP).
• Brady Gold hit his first career home run. Gold went 3-4 at the plate, a career-high.
• Niko Brini, Brady Gold and Ben Timblin each hit a home run in one inning. This is the second time the Terriers have hit three home runs in one inning this season.
• Terriers saw a season-high of 16 runs with 16 hits in tonight's game. The Terriers also had a season-high of seven doubles.
• The Terriers had a .457 team batting average, a season high. 

The Terriers will return tomorrow, Friday April 3, to face off in game two of the series against VMI at 6 p.m., streaming on ESPN +.