College of Charleston
Wofford
Baseball Opens Weekend Series with an 8-2 Victory over Wofford
4/17/2010 1:00:00 AM | Baseball
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - Freshman RHP Christian Powell (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) struck out a career-high eight batters and allowed only two runs in 6-1/3 innings as College of Charleston opened a weekend series with an 8-2 win over Wofford Friday evening at Patriots Point. The Cougars improve to 25-11 on the season, 10-6 in the Southern Conference and will host the Terriers in game two of the series tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m.
Wofford opened up a 1-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back doubles by Alex Lee and Mac Doyle. The Cougars, however, were unfazed by the early run, scored seven runs of their own in the next two frames.
Senior 2B Joey Bergman (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) led off the first by reaching on a fielding error by Wofford shortstop Matt Moore and advancing to second on a single to left by junior C Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J./Randolph). Sophomore 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla./American Heritage) brought home a pair of runs with a RBI double to right, giving CofC a 2-1 lead after the opening stanza.
Charleston opened a 7-1 lead in the second inning, plating five runs off Terriers starter Tom Dolinak. Leading off the inning, senior 1B Greg Blake (Westerly, R.I./Lake City CC) reached on a dropped fly ball by Dolinak. Junior SS Jamie Holler (Rock Hill, S.C./USC Sumter JC) hit into a fielder's choice with Blake out at second and advanced to third on a single to right by Bergman. After Bergman stole second, junior CF Cole Rakar (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Wando) roped a two-run double down the left-field line for a 4-1 advantage. Kral followed up with a RBI single to center, scoring Rakar and moving to second on the throw. Kral would score on a RBI double to left center by Leeds and the Cougars would tally the final run of the frame on a fielder's choice by junior RF Baker Knox (San Mateo, Fla./ Daytona Beach CC) that scored Leeds.
Both teams traded single runs in the fifth inning, with Wofford plating a run on a sacrifice fly by Alex Lee and the Cougars scoring on a RBI single by junior DH Kolby Epley (Yadkinville, N.C./Forbush).
Powell scattered six hits in earning his fifth victory of the season, while junior RHP Josh Salay (Rock Hill, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist College) and freshman LHP Cameron Holmes (Boiling Spring, S.C./Boiling Springs) combined for 2.2 innings of shutout relief. Leeds led the Cougars with a pair of doubles and three RBI, while Kral and Bergman had two hits apiece.
Dolinak took the loss for Wofford, allowing eight runs, seven earned, on 11 hits with six strikeouts. Lee and Kyle Behrendt had two hits apiece for the Terriers.
Game two of the series is set for tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m.
