SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Alex Malsch scored a pair of runs without picking up a hit in the game, the second run proved to be the winner as Wofford downed Longwood, 6-5, Wednesday evening at King Field.
Wofford (4-9) took advantage of mistakes by Longwood (5-9) throughout the game, the final mishap a wild pitch on Malsch's strikeout to lead off the home half of the seventh inning that allowed the Wofford infielder to reach. After stealing second with one out and moving up to third on a fly out to center, Malsch scored the decisive run on a wild pitch.
"We didn't play clean baseball and the little mistakes will always be magnified in tight games like these," Longwood head coach
Ryan Mau said. "We missed our big opportunity to put up multiple runs in the seventh with three strikeouts looking. We have to get balls in play in that situation to put pressure on the defense."
After falling behind 4-1, the Lancers rallied for three runs in the sixth inning, capped off by a two-run double by
Michael Osinski, which knotted the game, 4-4. Wofford battled back to retake the lead on an unearned run in the bottom half of the frame. In the seventh inning with the bases loaded and two outs,
Sammy Miller fought off three pitches in a 3-2 count and worked a bases-loaded walk to tie the game, 5-5, in the top of the seventh, but the Lancers didn't push across any more runs in the inning, leaving the bases loaded.
The Lancers outhit Wofford 12-6 in the game, but couldn't push across a run after tying the game in the top half of the seventh inning. Longwood committed two errors and stranded 12 base runners in the loss with four wild pitches.
Michael Catlin (1-1) allowed the deciding run in the seventh inning to score and was hit with the loss after allowing just the one earned run on one hit and two walks in 2.1 innings out of the bullpen. Jordan Acceta (1-0) picked up the win for Wofford after pitching 3.0 scoreless and hitless innings out of the bullpen with seven strikeouts and two walks issued.
Wofford had just two players finish with multi-hit games, while Osinski,
Justin Mitchell,
Alex Lewis, and
Ryan Shull each picked up a pair of hits for the Lancers.
Osinski drove in a pair of runs, going 2-for-4 with a double, and ran his hitting streak to six games, the longest active streak for the Lancers. It was the fifth game of the season for Osinski with multiple RBI, most on the team.
Mitchell and Lewis have each picked up a hit in the last four consecutive games, while Mitchell has reached safely in all 14 games this season. The junior left-handed hitter has seen his on-base percentage rise to .500.
Mac McCafferty and
Antwaun Tucker each singled in the game, putting their hitting streaks at five games each.
Longwood took advantage of scoring opportunities throughout the game, coming up with seven hits with runners on base and earning RBIs on all five runs.
Tyler Morgan (0-0) received no decision in his second start of the season. The freshman right-hander allowed five runs, three earned, on five hits and one walk in 5.2 innings of work with four strikeouts and a pair of wild pitches.
"Morgan pitched well for us tonight and gave us a chance to win the game," Mau said. "Unfortunately we gave away too many free bases with poor defensive play and that led to several Wofford runs."
Longwood concludes its road trip with a three-game series at UNC Wilmington that begins Friday and concludes with a doubleheader Saturday. First pitch Friday is set for 4 p.m. at Brooks Field.
#GoWood
