University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
East Tennessee State
Bowley, Branham Lead Spartans To Sweep Of Bucs In A-Sun Opener
3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 1, 2008
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Senior Kyle Bowley (Apopka, Fla./Apopka) and sophomore Matt Branham (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) each posted quality starts by throwing eight innings, allowing the USC Upstate baseball team to heat up and sweep East Tennessee State, 11-1 in eight innings in the first game and 8-3 in the second game, as Upstate won its first Atlantic Sun Conference games in school history at Cardinal Park on Saturday afternoon.
Coming off an injured hamstring that kept him from the lineup for three games, all Spartan losses, senior Andrew Runion (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) paced the team with a 4-for-9 day at the plate, including a double, three RBIs and two runs. Junior Eric Guillen (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) thrived in the No. 8 slot after starting the first five games of the year at the top of the order in the No. 2 slot, went 4-for-7 with two runs scored.
Facing Preseason All-Atlantic Sun Conference pitcher Brandon Langston in the first game, Bowley matched the Bucs' ace with one of the best performances of his career, as he threw a complete-game five hitter and helped the Spartans to an 11-1 eight-inning win.
Bowley struck out six and walked two while allowing just a first-inning run on a home run from Anthony Russell. Bowley, who now has 14 career wins, which is tied for sixth in school history with Chris Fowler (1989-92), is currently 10th in school history with 125 career strikeouts.
It took the Spartans (4-3 overall, 2-0 A-Sun) until the fifth inning to get on the scoreboard, as they scored an unearned run in the fifth inning. After the first batter reached on an error, freshman Keith Bisgounis (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) walked. After a fielder's choice cut down the runner at third, Guillen singled and senior Andrew Maddox (Boiling Springs, S.C./Boiling Springs) hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Bisgounis and tie the game.
The Spartans exploded for five runs in the sixth inning to take a 6-1 lead, as senior Casey Rivers (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) singled to right field to lead off. Runion and junior Phillip Morgan (Campobello, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) followed with back-to-back doubles to make it 3-1. After a groundout, Bisgounis delivered a sacrifice fly to score Morgan. Freshman A.J. Clark (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Springs Christian) and Guillen then hit two-out singles and Maddox drove them in with the third double of the inning.
Upstate went back to work in the seventh, combining two walks, two hit batters a fielder's choice and Guillen's third single of the game for three runs to take a 9-1 lead.
The Spartans posted two more runs in the eighth, as junior Kyle Simpson (Lyman, S.C./Byrnes) walked to lead off. Rivers followed with a single to the right side and Runion followed with an RBI single. After an out, sophomore Jimmy Tanner (Fayetteville, Ga./Stars Mill) delivered another RBI single to give the Spartans an 11-1 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, Bowley (2-0) retired the Bucs (0-6 overall, 0-2 A-Sun) in order, finishing the game with a strikeout of Nick Belcher to end the game thanks to the conference's 10-run rule in doubleheader conference games.
Guillen finished 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI and Rivers added a 3-for-4 game with three runs scored and Runion finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run.
Langston took the loss for the Bucs, throwing six innings and allowing eight hits, a walk and four earned runs.
In the second game, it was Branham's turn, as he pitched eight innings, allowing 11 hits and three earned runs, leading the Spartans to an 8-3 win. Branham struck out six and walked none, falling just one shy of his career-high of seven strikeouts.
The Spartans took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, as Simpson drew a leadoff walk, took second on a passed ball, third on a grounder and scored on another passed ball. The Bucs answered right back in the bottom of the frame, scoring two runs on four hits.
Upstate tied the game in the third when Maddox reached on a two-base outfield error and scored when Rivers reached on an error. The Spartans then broke the game open in the fifth inning, as Guillen led off with a walk, was sacrificed to second base and moved to third on a single by Simpson. Rivers followed with a single up the middle and Runion added another single up the middle to score Simpson and move Rivers to third. Morgan added a sac fly to make it 5-2.
The Bucs tallied a single run in the sixth on a double from Derek Trent and an RBI single from Troy Mendez, closing within two, but Branham (2-0) didn't let another runner past second after the sixth. In the ninth, Simpson hit a one-out triple and two walks loaded the bases for Morgan, who delivered a two-run double. A groundout scored another run giving the Spartans an 8-3 lead.
Junior left-hander Justin Hayes (Mauldin, S.C./Mauldin) closed the game with an inning of scoreless relief.
Simpson finished 2-for-4 with three runs to lead the Spartans and Runion finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Rivers added two runs and two RBIs and Morgan finished with three RBIs.
Upstate will wrap up its series with ETSU on Sunday as it looks for three-game sweep at Cardinal Park, with game time slated for 1 p.m.
