College Baseball

Wofford College 12, Rider University 4

SPARTANSBURG, SC—The Broncs had eight hits in the 2016 season opener but it was not enough to defeat Wofford Friday evening. “Offensively we played fairly well,” said Rider head coach Barry Davis. “We didn't swing the bat too bad.”

Wofford (5-0) scored two runs in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth inning to take an 11-4 lead. “Wofford is good,” Davis said.

Rider (0-1) took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on three hits, including a double by senior James Locklear (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) and an RBI single by junior Lee Lipinski (Glen Arm, MD/Calvert), a pair of walks, a wild pitch and a fielder's choice.

Rider cut the lead to 5-4 in the fifth inning when sophomore Jake Bender (Ellicot, Md./Marriotts Ridge) singled and scored on an RBI single by junior Dalton Mayberry (Chadds Ford, PA/Garnett Valley).

Wofford tied the score at 3-3 in the first inning on three hits, a walk and a steal of home. The Terriers broke the 3-3 tie in the second inning on a single, stolen base, wild pitch and an error. “They stole over 100 bases last year,” Davis said. “That is a big part of their game.”

Junior Tyler Kaiser (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) had two of Rider's eight hits. “Kaiser swung the bat well,” Davis said.

Rider sophomore Nick Margevicius (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Ignatius) pitched into the fourth inning, allowing five runs. “Nick got out of a jam in the second inning with a big strikeout,” Davis said.

Freshman Dylan Simcik (Newtown, PA/Holy Ghost Prep) pitched two and one-third innings of relief in his college debut, allowing two hits while striking out one. “Dylan pitched really well,” Davis said. “He was probably our most effective pitcher today.”

Rider stays in Spartansburg to play UNC Asheville noon Saturday at USC Upstate, and plays Upstate on Sunday. “There are a lot of positives we can take from today,” Davis said.

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