Charleston, S.C. – The Citadel pounded out 13 runs on 11 hits Tuesday night, topping rival College of Charleston, 13-1, in a non-conference game in front of 2,545 fans at Riley Park. Chris Swauger went 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in the game while Asher Wojciechowski struck out nine across six innings of work.
The Citadel (10-3) notched their first win over the Cougars at Riley Park since April 25, 2006 and Tuesday night’s game marked the Bulldogs’ largest margin of victory over Charleston since topping CofC 19-3 on March 29, 2003.
“We’re just trying to get better everyday,” said The Citadel head coach Fred Jordan. “They [College of Charleston] have got a great team and we just had a good night.”
Wojciechowski (2-0) received his second win in four appearances and tied a career-high nine strikeouts in his third start of the season. Wojciechowski gave up one run on three hits – a Jeremie Tice home run – while walking four.
Wojciechowski partnered with Raymond Copenhaver and Chris Boyce to shut down a Cougar offense that leads the Southern Conference in batting average, runs, hits and extra-base hits. Wojciechowski is now second in the league in ERA with a 0.86 mark while The Citadel’s Matt Reifsnider leads the SoCon with a 0.73 mark.
College of Charleston’s lone run came from Tice’s home run in the second inning and the Cougars could only get three runners into scoring position throughout the rest of the game. CofC (10-4) only managed to get five hits off of three Bulldog pitchers.
Swauger went 3-for-3 in the game with two walks and has now safely reached base in his last 10 consecutive plate appearances. Swauger was walked twice and hit two singles and a double while scoring three runs and driving in two.
The Bulldog offense came out of the gates firing, scoring seven runs in the first two innings and running of Charleston starter Clay Caulfield after only 1.1 innings of work. Caulfield was responsible for all seven runs off four hits in the first two frames and was unable to strike out a batter. All but one Bulldog batter reached base in the game.
The Citadel returns to action on Wednesday, March 12 as the Bulldogs host the Sycamores of Indiana State. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. For complete coverage of Bulldog Baseball, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.
