ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Wofford baseball team powered past UNC Asheville at Greenwood Field Tuesday night behind a pair of grand slams and a career-best start from Mike Eggert to run rule and shutout the Bulldogs, 13-0, in seven innings. Wofford improves to 30-10 while Asheville drops to 21-19.
The triumph gives the Terriers their fifth-straight season with at least 30 wins (shortened 2020 season excluded). Wofford has posted 30 wins or more in now eight of the last nine full seasons.
Wofford starter Mike Eggert (4-1) earned the win after a career performance on the mound, pitching career-highs for both innings (5.0) and strikeouts (seven). He allowed just four hits and one walk. Dom Marcoccio and Michael Sills each tossed a scoreless and hitless frame in relief. Marcoccio added a pair of punchouts.
Bulldog starter Chris Sabo (2-3) suffered the loss after giving up five runs on one hit and three walks in an inning of work.
Wofford totaled eight hits, with five of those eight split between Gunnar Johnson and Ryan Galanie. They combined to drive in 10 of the 13 Terrier runs. Johnson contributed six RBI on three hits, and Galanie added four runs knocked in on a pair of hits.
Both sluggers clubbed a grand slam in the contest. Galanie’s was his second of the season and 13th home run overall in the campaign. Johnson’s was his first-career slam and seventh homer of the season.
The Terriers opened the game with a bang, piling on five runs in the top of the first. A pair of walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases for Brice Martinez, who worked a walk of his own to put Wofford on the board. Gunnar Johnson stepped up next, and he clobbered a grand slam to left to cap off the five-run Terrier first.
Asheville threatened in the bottom of the frame by loading the bases, but Mike Eggert worked out of the jam to keep the margin 5-0.
Pitching settled in from there for both teams, with neither offense able to secure any more runs until the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, the Terriers popped off for six more to extend their lead to double-digits. The scoring barrage started with another bases-loaded RBI for Johnson, this time a single that plated one. A passed ball would allow Martinez to score, and walk re-loaded the bases for Ryan Galanie. The senior followed the lead set earlier by Johnson, going opposite field with a grand slam, the second of the game for Wofford. The bases-clearing blast made the score 11-0.
The Terriers tacked on a couple more in the top of the seventh. A wild pitch scored Connor Larson after he pinch-ran for Dixon Black. Johnson continued to deliver with an RBI double, extending the Wofford lead to 13-0.
Michael Sills came on to pitch the seventh and held Asheville off the board once more to secure the 13-0 run-rule triumph in seven innings.
The Terriers return to action tomorrow night with a road contest at Davidson. The contest against the Wildcats is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.
