Terriers Stay Alive

Wofford starter Connell Anderson warms up.

I didn't want this to be a farewell post. Farewell, that is, to the Terriers' 2014 baseball campaign. It was turning into quite the thing of beauty: strong pitching, an impressive record, and the will to survive in the SoCon Tournament.

Thanks to only the Terriers themselves, this is absolutely not a farewell post.


Let's review: After a tough loss to Samford on Wednesday night, the Terriers bounced back to defeat The Citadel 4-2, the same margin that the Bulldogs from Birmingham defeated us by.

Now, we had to fight for survival again, this time against the Davidson Wildcats.

The Wildcats came out with a five-run blast in the top of the first, but that lead was relatively short-lived.

James Plaisted's three-RBI double and Josh Hyman's RBI single in the third inning quickly brought Wofford within a run.

Seth Neely's sacrifice fly the very next inning tied up the game.

Davidson added runs in the fourth and seventh innings, the latter of which came at a seemingly critical time in the game. The Terriers had blown an opportunity with the bases loaded and one out by hitting into a double play. Eric Eck's otherwise proficient relief outing was slightly marred by the late Wildcat run.

Wofford reliever Eric Eck had an impressive outing on Friday night.

Any bad feelings originating from that were speedily obliterated in the top of the eighth. Demetrius Jennings' RBI rip and the walking of Paradowski with the bases loaded tied up our contest at seven runs apiece. The Terriers took the lead on Plaisted's sacrifice fly later in the frame.

In the bottom of the eighth, a rally put together by the Wildcats was ultimately shut down by Eck and company.

Wofford added two insurance runs in the ninth, and closer Will Stillman pitched a nice frame to ensure the Terriers' survival and the 10-7 victory.

Some Afterthoughts

• I was extremely impressed with tonight's Terrier pitching, especially the relievers. Following Connell Anderson's start, Conner Foltyn and Luke Leftwich registered an efficient inning apiece, combining to strikeout six batters. The real highlight, however, was Eric Eck's three innings of relief, which included seven strikeouts and only two hits given up. Will Stillman also was impressive in his closing appearance, as his arm recorded all three outs in the bottom of the ninth.
• Wofford recorded fourteen hits in this victory, and obviously made great strides in their hitting game.
• This was Wofford's 32nd win on the season. Enough said.
• Today, the Terriers wore their camo caps, which, in my opinion, are some of the best in baseball.

To get to the final, the Terriers will have to beat Samford twice. As head coach Todd Interdonato said in a postgame interview with SoCon TV, however, the Terriers will be focusing on first things first.

The game is slated for 1:00 PM ET.