Feb. 26, 2008

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - An eight-run sixth inning that featured two home runs was not enough for the USC Upstate baseball team on Tuesday night at King Field, as Wofford came-from-behind to score the final five runs to take a 10-8 non-conference win in the local rivalry.

Juniors Phillip Morgan (Campobello, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) and Kyle Simpson (Lyman, S.C./Byrnes) each homered during the eight-run sixth for Upstate and Simpson finished 2-for-4 with two runs. He tied a career-high with three RBIs. Sophomore catcher Jimmy Tanner (Fayetteville, Ga./Stars Mill) finished with two hits, a run and an RBI as the first four batters in the Upstate lineup collected five of the team's hits and six of its seven RBIs.

The Terriers rallied in the eighth inning with two outs to take a 10-8 lead, after a double dropped in from Shane Kirkley to put runners on second and third, bringing junior Spartan closer Justin Hayes (Mauldin, S.C./Mauldin) in from the bullpen to face cleanup hitter Mo Seay, who delivered a three-run homer over the right-center field fence for his second homer of the game.

Upstate got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning with an eight-run rally when Simpson started a rally with bunt single. Junior Eric Guillen (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) followed with a hard-hit liner that fell out of the left fielder's mitt for a two-base error and Tanner reached when a grounder got through the shortstop's legs to score two runs. Morgan got underneath an offering and delivered a 390-foot blast to left-center field to make it 5-4. After senior Kyle Bowley (Apopka, Fla./Apopka) earned a walk and was sacrificed to second base, senior Casey Rivers (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) delivered an RBI single up the middle.

The rally continued with junior Tommy Shovlin (Merritt Island, Fla./Daytona Beach C.C.) drawing a walk and after a flyout, Simpson delivered a home run down the right field line for his second out-of-the-park home run as a Spartan, giving Upstate an 8-5 lead.

Wofford came right back with an RBI double off the base of the right-field wall by Jake Williams in the sixth inning, making it 8-6. A home run from Seay made it a one-run game with one out in the seventh.

Wofford jumped out with three runs in the first inning, using two extra-base hits to power across the runs, with Sterling Dye leading off with a triple and Kirkley hitting an RBI double. Kirkley added a homer in the third and another single tally in the fifth made it 5-0.

Drew Sheridan (1-0) earned the win in relief for the Terriers, throwing a scoreless eighth and Michael Gilmartin earned the save with a scoreless ninth in which he struck out one and gave up a hit. Junior Dennis McCraney (Catawba, S.C./Rock Hill) (0-1) took the loss for Upstate, allowing two hits and two runs in 2/3 innings.

Kirkley finished 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs and Seay finished 2-for-5 with two runs and two homers for Wofford. Gilmartin also added a 2-for-4 game with three runs scored.

This was the first time the two local rivals had met since 1995, when USC Upstate beat Wofford, 16-2, one of 10 wins that season for then-USC Spartanburg. Upstate leads the all-time series, 16-7.

Upstate gets back into action on Wednesday when 2007 NCAA Regional participant Charlotte comes to Harley Park for a 4 p.m. showdown.