Box Score Game Box (pdf)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Wofford baseball team was defeated 8-4 by Samford on Sunday afternoon at Joe Lee Griffin Field. It was a one-run contest until the Bulldogs scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn the series sweep.
Wofford is now 13-20 on the season and 4-10 in the Southern Conference. Samford is 17-14 overall and 7-7 in conference games. The Terriers were led by Clark Wise with two hits and two runs scored and Matt Ramsay with two hits and two RBIs. Christiaan Durdaller led the Bulldogs with two hits and two runs.
Clark Wise led off the game with a single up the middle and he moved to second on a passed ball. Seth Neely reached on an error that scored Wise for a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs answered with a single by Zeth Stone and he moved to third on an error, but he was stranded.
In the second inning, Wofford loaded the bases with a Luke Feisal single, walk to Clark Wise and Alec Paradowski was hit by a pitch. Josh Hyman’s shot to left field was caught at the wall to end the inning. Samford led off their half of the second with a single, hit by pitch, and walk to load the bases. A ground out by Jared Watson tied the game at 1-1, but two runners were left on base.
With two outs in the third inning, Matthew Pelt singled and got to second on an error. A single to left field by Matt Ramsay scored Pelt for a 2-1 score. Samford led off with a hit by pitch and a walk in the bottom of the third. A balk brought home a runner on third to tie the game at 2-2. Clark Wise singled in the top of the fourth and stole second. Wise then scored from second on a wild pitch for a 3-2 lead.
Samford took the lead in the bottom of the fourth when a single up the middle by Tommy Corbin drove in two runs for a 4-3 advantage. Wofford added two more singles in the top of the fifth, but both runners were left on base. In the top of the sixth, Clark Wise walked and Alec Paradowski singled, but a double play and fly out ended the scoring chance.
The Bulldogs led off the bottom of the sixth with a double. A two-out double by Zeth Stone scored the runner for a 5-3 lead. In the top of the seventh, James Plaisted opened with a walk and moved to second on a ground out. Luke Feisal reached on an error, putting Plaisted on third. A sacrifice bunt by Matt Ramsay scored Plaisted to make it a 5-4 game.
In the bottom of the seventh, Samford had a walk and a double to put runners in scoring position. An RBI single by Christiaan Durdaller and sacrifice fly by Drew McWhorter pushed the lead to 7-4. A two-out double by Jared Watson made it 8-4. Both teams were retired in order in the eighth inning. Matthew Pelt had a two-out single in the top of the ninth, but he was left on base to end the game.
Wofford pitcher Luke Leftwich (2-3) went four innings and gave up four runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Will Stillman worked 1.2 innings with one run allowed on one hit with a strikeout. J.D. Osborne gave up three hits and three runs in a third of an inning. Eric Eck gave up one hit and had one strikeout in two innings.
Samford starter Cole Limbaugh (3-1) threw five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Patrick McGavin worked three innings and allowed one run on one hit with one strikeout. Andres Gracia went the ninth and gave up one hit.
The game was the final contest in a nine-game road trip for Wofford. The Terriers return home on Wednesday night to play UNC Asheville at 6:00 p.m. before hosting Furman in a Southern Conference series.
