GREENVILLE, S.C. –The No. 4 seeded Wofford baseball team dropped their opening round contest against the No. 5 seeded The Citadel in the Southern Conference Tournament at Fluor Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Terriers (34-21) allowed six unanswered runs in the first inning before answering to score five runs in the bottom of the first to cut the Bulldogs (32-24) lead to 6-5. However, Wofford couldn't keep up with The Citadel's offense with the Bulldogs adding seven more runs over the final six innings.
Alec Bouchard made the start for Wofford, pitching 3.1 innings. Bouchard (9-3) allowed seven hits and eight runs, six earned, with three strikeouts.
Branton Little followed in relief to pitch 5.2 innings. Little gave up eight hits and five runs, four of which were earned, with four strikeouts.
Tanner Hardin went 2-for-4 from the plate with one run and three RBI.
Ben Timblin had a solo home run and scored a pair of runs.
The Bulldogs were quick to strike first with a double to start the game. Four straight scoring plays for The Citadel followed to start out with a 5-0 lead. With two outs, an RBI single followed for a 6-0 game. The Terriers didn't hesitate to answer as
Cade Collins led off with a single to third base. A fielder's choice with an error during the play moved Collins to third base with
Niko Brini at first. An RBI single by
Logan Tribble brought in the first run of the night for Wofford. A walk to
Ben Timblin followed by an RBI single by
Lucas Manning quickly made it a 6-2 game. With two outs, a double by
Tanner Hardin cleared the bases to cut the Bulldogs' lead 6-5.
The next two innings remained scoreless before The Citadel came into the fourth to score two more runs to make it an 8-5 contest. Wofford started their half of the fourth with a double by
Tanner Hardin down the left field line. A single by
Cade Collins brought in Hardin to make it an 8-6 game. The Citadel and Wofford each had one hit in the fifth, but the inning remained scoreless. The Bulldogs scored three more runs in the sixth for an 11-6 advantage before a strikeout by
Branton Little ended the top half of the inning.
The Citadel had one out in the top of the eighth when a double put a runner in scoring position. An RBI single made it a 12-6 game as the Terriers were able to close out the inning with an out at second and then a caught stealing.
Ben Timblin opened the bottom of the eight with a solo home run deep to centerfield to make it a 12-7 score. Senior
Raul Feliz hit a single with two outs for the Terriers, but a strikeout ended the inning. The Bulldogs closed out their 33-run day in the two games with an RBI single to push the lead to 13-7. The Terriers had two outs when a walk to
Niko Brini to put a runner on base. However, a ground out to third ended the game with a 13-7 final score.
Quick Hits:
The Terriers return to Fluor Field on Thursday, May 21, to await the loser of game five between the No. 5 seeded The Citadel and No. 1 seeded Mercer at 4 p.m., streaming on ESPN +.
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