MACON, Ga. –The Wofford baseball team fell to Mercer 5-1 on Saturday afternoon at OrthoGeorgia Park. The Terriers (30-13, 8-3) opened the scoring with a run in the second inning, but four runs in the fourth inning for the Bears (31-12, 6-5) led them to clinch the series over Wofford.
Cullen Condon started for the Terriers, pitching 3.2 innings. Condon (5-2) allowed four hits and five runs and struck out three batters. Austin Laughlin and P.J. Fitzpatrick followed in relief, with Laughlin striking out three batters.
The game started with a scoreless first inning before the Terriers struck first in the second. With two outs on the board, Hunter Herndon reached first base on an error before Tanner Hardin doubled down shallow center field to drive home Herndon for a 1-0 lead. A single by Cade Collins was the lone hit in the third for Wofford before Mercer came back in the bottom half of the frame with a leadoff home run to tie the game at-1. After Wofford was retired in order in the top of the fourth, the Bears came into the bottom half of the frame with an RBI triple to boost themselves to a 2-1 lead. Mercer's batting order didn't stop there with a fielder's choice and a single to put runners on base. A three-RBI home run gave the Bears a 5-1 lead.
The Terriers opportunities at the plate were limited with Mercer's strong defense not allowing a hit for the Terriers until the seventh inning when Hunter Herndon had a single with one out. The Terriers fended off the Bears, holding them scoreless for the rest of the game. In the top of the ninth inning, Niko Brini and Logan Tribble led off with doubles to put them in scoring position. However, a double play and a strikeout ended the ball game for the Terriers.
Quick Hits:
The Terriers and Bears will play the series finale on Sunday, April 26, at 1:00 p.m.
