No. 5 Western Carolina, No. 7 Wofford

No. 5 Western Carolina 10, No. 4 Mercer 3

Greenville, S.C. – Western Carolina defeated Mercer by a score of 10-3 in Southern Conference tournament action at Fluor Field on Thursday afternoon. The Catamounts took control early with a four-run first inning and never relinquished their lead.

After Brayden Corn was hit by a pitch and Hayden Friese singled, the Catamounts capitalized on a Mercer error. Jack Spyke reached on a fielding error by third baseman Brant Baughcum that allowed Corn to score the game's first run.

Mason Holton then delivered the decisive blow with a three-run homer to right center field, plating Spyke and Friese to give Western Carolina a commanding 4-0 lead. Wyatt Stanley followed with a triple to center field, though the Catamounts were unable to add to their advantage in the inning.

The early offensive outburst proved costly for Johnson, who lasted just two-thirds of an inning while allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Western Carolina extended their lead with two more runs in the fourth inning. Trey Spees led off with a single, and Corn followed with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right center that made it 6-0.

The Catamounts added another run in the fifth when Holton scored on an RBI single by Spees, pushing the advantage to 7-0.

Mercer broke through against Western Carolina starter Davis Wright in the sixth inning. After Ely Brown was hit by a pitch and Parker Lester walked, David Falloon doubled to right center to drive in Brown for the Bears' first run. Lester then scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 7-2.

The Bears added another run in the seventh when Ty Dalley doubled and eventually scored on a two-out RBI double by Bradley Frye, making it 7-3.

Western Carolina put the game away with three runs in the ninth inning. Spyke singled to lead off, and after Holton sacrificed him to second, Stanley delivered an RBI triple. Noah Quarless then singled home Stanley, and Quarless scored when a wild pitch allowed the runners to advance, completing the 10-3 final score.

Davis Wright earned the victory for Western Carolina, improving to 5-7 on the season. The right-hander worked 6⅓ innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Josh Ossiander, Ryan White, and Brandon Langley combined to finish the game for the Catamounts.

Jeb Johnson took the loss for Mercer, falling to 4-5. The Bears used nine different pitchers in the contest, with Jess Ackerman providing the longest relief stint at 3⅓ innings.

Western Carolina was led offensively by Friese, who went 3-for-5, and Stanley, who finished 2-for-4 with a triple and four total bases. Corn contributed a home run and was hit by two pitches, while Holton drove in three runs despite just one hit.

For Mercer, Dalley led the way with a 3-for-5 performance, including a double. Frye and Falloon each collected RBI doubles in the losing effort.

No. 7 Wofford 12, No. 3 The Citadel 4

Greenville, S.C. – Wofford defeated The Citadel by a score of 12-4 in Southern Conference Championship action at Fluor Field on Thursday evening. The Terriers broke open a close game with seven runs over the sixth and seventh innings to pull away from the Bulldogs.

Wofford struck first in the opening inning when Ryan Wynn walked and advanced to second on a throwing error by Citadel pitcher Andrew Stanley during a failed pickoff attempt. Tanner Hardin then delivered an RBI double to right center field to give the Terriers a 1-0 advantage.

The Terriers added another run in the second inning on an RBI single by Niko Brini that scored Andrew Mannelly, extending their lead to 2-0 through two frames.

After three scoreless innings, Wofford pushed across two more runs in the fourth. Lucas Manning doubled to left field to score Mannelly, and Cade Collins followed with a two-run double to left center that made it 4-0 in favor of the Terriers.

The Citadel finally broke through against Wofford starter Kenny Michaels in the fifth inning with a three-run outburst. Thomas Rollauer walked and Lane Tobin singled to put runners on base. After Matthew Lively singled to load the bases, Aryan Patel delivered a two-run ground-rule double down the right field line to score Rollauer and Tobin. Phillips Daniels then executed a sacrifice bunt that allowed Lively to score, cutting the deficit to 4-3.

Wofford answered immediately in the sixth inning with three runs to regain control. After Mannelly was hit by a pitch and Manning singled, Collins singled to load the bases. Brini then cleared them all with a three-run double to right center field, pushing the Terriers' advantage to 7-3.

The seventh inning proved decisive as Wofford added four more runs to put the game away. Tyler Bak singled and Hardin bunted him to second base. After Adam Haber's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, Tyler Hare delivered an RBI single to center field. Mannelly followed with another RBI single, and Collins capped the rally with a two-run single to left field, extending the lead to 11-3.

Wofford tacked on one final run in the eighth inning when Wynn singled and scored on a Bak RBI single, aided by a fielding error by The Citadel left fielder TJ Anderson.

The Citadel managed one run in the ninth inning when Travis Elliott homered to left field, in the 12-4 final.

Kenny Michaels earned the complete-game victory for Wofford, improving to 5-3 on the season. The right-hander worked all nine innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts while throwing 121 pitches.

Andrew Stanley took the loss for The Citadel, falling to 5-3. Stanley lasted 3⅓ innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts. The Bulldogs used five different pitchers in the contest, with Yates Bland, Maddox Webb, Oliver Wood, and Conner Cummiskey all seeing action in relief.

Wofford's offensive attack was led by Collins, who went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a double. Hardin also collected three hits in five at-bats with an RBI double, while Brini finished 2-for-5 with four RBIs despite being caught stealing twice. Mannelly contributed two hits and scored four runs despite playing only six innings before being replaced by Ethan Belk.

For The Citadel, Patel led the way with a 1-for-3 performance that included the crucial two-run double. Elliott provided the lone highlight with his solo home run in the ninth inning, and Lively collected two hits in three at-bats.


2025 SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
May 21 (Wednesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
(Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 1: #5 Western Carolina 15, #8 VMI 1
Game 2: #7 Wofford 4, #6 UNCG 2
May 22 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
 (Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 3: #5 Western Carolina 10, #4 Mercer 3
Game 4: #7 Wofford 12, #3 The Citadel 4
May 23 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
 (Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 5: No. 5 Western Carolina vs. #1 ETSU, 9 a.m.
Game 6: No. 7 Wofford vs. #2 Samford, 12:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 4 Mercer vs. Loser Game 5, 4 p.m.
Game 8: No. 2 The Citadel vs. Loser Game 6, 7:30 p.m.
May 24 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (ESPN+)
 (Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 12 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 3:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 9, 7 p.m.
 
May 25 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Holston Gases (SDN)
Fluor Field; Greenville, S.C.)
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, 12 p.m.
Game 13: Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser^, 40 minutes after Game 12
^ if necessary