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Top-seeded Wofford advances in baseball championship bracket
The Terriers defeat Mercer 8-7 with walk-off win
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Junior first baseman John Dempsey hit his second solo home run of the contest in the bottom of the ninth inning as top-seeded Wofford walked off in an elimination contest against No. 3 seed Mercer on Friday, 8-7, at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases at Fluor Field.
In a rematch of the 2019 championship title game, the Bears scored in the first four innings of the game, which included two straight innings with a two-run home run, before the Terriers came back to take their first lead in the last inning to secure walk-off the win.
The Terriers (36-20) will move on to face either No. 2 seed Samford or No. 4 seed Western Carolina, who are playing Friday's final contest at approximately 8:25 p.m. The loser will play Wofford on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The Bears (35-22) scored in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead as sophomore first baseman Angelo Dispigna hit his 14th home run of the season. However, the Terriers took advantage of a hit batter, two walks, a sacrifice fly and an error to counter with two runs in the bottom half to tie it up heading into the second inning.
Mercer reclaimed the lead in the top of the frame with a two-run home run from center fielder Bill Knight. Knight’s homer flew 418 feet and over the Green Monster before Dispigna hit his second homer of the game, a solo blast that went 449 feet, to lead off the third and make it a 5-2 contest.
Wofford freshman Jack Renwick singled through to the right side of the field in the bottom of the third inning for the Terriers’ first hit off of Mercer starter Garett Delano, and with two outs, Brennen Dorighi singled up the middle to score Renwick.
Mercer’s scoring efforts continued in the fourth inning with David Burke and Colby Thomas both crossing the home plate from a Wofford error, increasing the Bears’ lead to four runs, 7-3.
Scoring then halted until the bottom of the sixth, where Dempsey hit the Terriers’ first home run of the game and his sixth of the season. Wofford continued to cut into Mercer’s lead in the frame with two additional runs from Dorighi and Nolen Hester, who scored on an RBI double from Shane Lussier and an RBI single from Lawson Hill, respectively.
It was a one-run game through the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the frame, Wofford’s Colin Davis, the SoCon Player of the Year, tied up the game at 7 with an RBI double to right field that scored Lussier.
Dispigna doubled with two outs in the top half of the ninth, but Wofford Dalton Rhadans struck out Delano looking to end the threat. With two down in the bottom half, Dempsey powered the ball down the right-field line and off Pesky’s Pole for the game-winning home run and the Terriers’ only lead of the day.
Dempsey finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored for Wofford to lead at the bat.
Dispigna, who also recorded a multi-home run game, was 3-for-5 with three RBIs to pace Mercer, while Knight and Colby Thomas had two hits each. Knight was just a triple short of the cycle and tallied two RBIs.
Wofford’s Rhadans improved to 6-0 with the win, as he did not allow a run on three hits in four innings of action.
Josh Farmer (4-1) took the loss for the Bears. He was charged with two runs on two hits in three innings of work, striking out one.
The win keeps Wofford’s chances alive to make the final for the second consecutive time and denied Mercer of making its fifth title game appearance since it joined the league in 2015.
May 27 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: No. 4 Western Carolina 16, No. 1 Wofford 5
Game 2: No. 2 Samford 10, No. 3 Mercer 8
May 28 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 3: No. 1 Wofford 8, No. 3 Mercer 7
Game 4: No. 4 Western Carolina vs. No. 2 Samford, 7 p.m.
May 29 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 5: Game 4 loser vs. No. 1 Wofford, 3:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m.
May 30 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser (If necessary), 12 p.m.
In a rematch of the 2019 championship title game, the Bears scored in the first four innings of the game, which included two straight innings with a two-run home run, before the Terriers came back to take their first lead in the last inning to secure walk-off the win.
The Terriers (36-20) will move on to face either No. 2 seed Samford or No. 4 seed Western Carolina, who are playing Friday's final contest at approximately 8:25 p.m. The loser will play Wofford on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The Bears (35-22) scored in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead as sophomore first baseman Angelo Dispigna hit his 14th home run of the season. However, the Terriers took advantage of a hit batter, two walks, a sacrifice fly and an error to counter with two runs in the bottom half to tie it up heading into the second inning.
Mercer reclaimed the lead in the top of the frame with a two-run home run from center fielder Bill Knight. Knight’s homer flew 418 feet and over the Green Monster before Dispigna hit his second homer of the game, a solo blast that went 449 feet, to lead off the third and make it a 5-2 contest.
Wofford freshman Jack Renwick singled through to the right side of the field in the bottom of the third inning for the Terriers’ first hit off of Mercer starter Garett Delano, and with two outs, Brennen Dorighi singled up the middle to score Renwick.
Mercer’s scoring efforts continued in the fourth inning with David Burke and Colby Thomas both crossing the home plate from a Wofford error, increasing the Bears’ lead to four runs, 7-3.
Scoring then halted until the bottom of the sixth, where Dempsey hit the Terriers’ first home run of the game and his sixth of the season. Wofford continued to cut into Mercer’s lead in the frame with two additional runs from Dorighi and Nolen Hester, who scored on an RBI double from Shane Lussier and an RBI single from Lawson Hill, respectively.
It was a one-run game through the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the frame, Wofford’s Colin Davis, the SoCon Player of the Year, tied up the game at 7 with an RBI double to right field that scored Lussier.
Dispigna doubled with two outs in the top half of the ninth, but Wofford Dalton Rhadans struck out Delano looking to end the threat. With two down in the bottom half, Dempsey powered the ball down the right-field line and off Pesky’s Pole for the game-winning home run and the Terriers’ only lead of the day.
Dempsey finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored for Wofford to lead at the bat.
Dispigna, who also recorded a multi-home run game, was 3-for-5 with three RBIs to pace Mercer, while Knight and Colby Thomas had two hits each. Knight was just a triple short of the cycle and tallied two RBIs.
Wofford’s Rhadans improved to 6-0 with the win, as he did not allow a run on three hits in four innings of action.
Josh Farmer (4-1) took the loss for the Bears. He was charged with two runs on two hits in three innings of work, striking out one.
The win keeps Wofford’s chances alive to make the final for the second consecutive time and denied Mercer of making its fifth title game appearance since it joined the league in 2015.
May 27 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: No. 4 Western Carolina 16, No. 1 Wofford 5
Game 2: No. 2 Samford 10, No. 3 Mercer 8
May 28 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 3: No. 1 Wofford 8, No. 3 Mercer 7
Game 4: No. 4 Western Carolina vs. No. 2 Samford, 7 p.m.
May 29 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 5: Game 4 loser vs. No. 1 Wofford, 3:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m.
May 30 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser (If necessary), 12 p.m.
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