GREENVILLE, S.C. –The Presbyterian College baseball team took a 6-5 lead into the seventh inning, but a five-run frame allowed the Wofford Terriers to win a non-conference tilt on Wednesday night at Fluor Field, 10-6.
PC moves to 10-11-1 and next heads to VMI for a Big South Conference weekend series that begins on Friday at 3 p.m. Wofford improves to 14-7.
The Terriers scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh—all with two outs—to come from behind and take the win.
Billy Motroni (Goose Creek, S.C.) made his first start on the mound and delivered a solid outing. The junior tossed five innings and allowed five runs—four earned—on three hits and left the game with the lead. Trey Hayes (Belton, S.C.) also pitched effectively in relief for the second straight game, delivering a perfect one and one-third innings.
Weston Jackson (Greer, S.C.) led by went 4-for-4 at the plate and made several spectacular grabs in left field. Derek Long (Alpharetta, Ga.) delivered two RBI while Brad Zebedis (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Cam McRae (Darlington, S.C.) each homered in the effort.
Wofford jumped on PC early with four runs in the first inning. A leadoff triple from Josh Hyman set up a sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded Dylan May double cleared the bags to put the Terriers up, 4-0.
The Blue Hose answered with three runs in the top of the second. Jackson singled before Jacob Midkiff (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Brandon Paul (Columbia, S.C.) walked to load the bases with one out for Michael Trebendis (Fayetteville, Ga.), who lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that plated one. Long then ripped a 1-0 pitch back up the middle to score Midkiff and Paul that cut Wofford's lead to one, 4-3.
After a rough opening inning, Motroni bounced back in the bottom of the second. A leadoff walk and a fielder's choice set up an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to keep Wofford off the scoreboard.
McRae tied the game with one swing of his bat in the top of the third, smacking the first pitch he saw over the Green Monster in left field for a towering home run, his fourth of the season. The solo shot pulled PC even, 4-4.
The PC defense continued to shine in the third, as Trebendis made a diving stop and throw for the first out of the inning as the Terriers went three-up, three-down.
Nate Chong (Duluth, Ga.), the defending Big South Conference Player of the Week, put PC in front in the bottom of the fourth. With Trebendis at second and staring at the third out, Chong hit a double into the left field corner to score the runner and give PC its first lead, 5-4.
Motroni continued to hum along, retiring the side in order in the bottom of the fourth. The junior retired nine straight batters from the second through the fourth innings.
Zebedis hit his own solo home run over the Monster to start the fifth inning. The senior rocked a 2-1 pitch that cleared the left field wall for his second home run of the season to make it a 6-4 PC lead.
Wofford narrowed the gap in the bottom of the frame with a run-scoring fielder's choice, but Long gunned down a would-be basestealer at second to end the inning with no further damage.
Brian Kehner (Marietta, Ga.) entered the game to start the sixth and the freshman shut down in the Terriers in his first inning. Kehner struck out the leadoff man and induced a groundout and a foulout to take the game into the top of the seventh.
PC secured the first two outs of the seventh before Wofford broke the inning open. A single and a walk put two aboard and an error allowed the first run of the inning to score and Wofford to tie. A Conor Clancey double plated another and a three-run home run from Eric Brenk to left center gave Wofford a 10-6 lead.
Jackson's fourth hit of the game eventually allowed the sophomore to reach third, but PC could not convert in the eighth and Wofford went on to win by the same score, 10-6.
Hyman led Wofford with a 3-for-4 effort. Brenk and May also posted three RBI apiece.
The two teams play the third and final game of the series in Clinton on Wednesday, April 23 at 3 p.m.
