University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Lipscomb University
Crazy Eights: Bisgounis' Huge Eighth-Inning Hits Lift Upstate To Doubleheader Sweep
4/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 19, 2008
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Freshman Keith Bisgounis (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) made his case as one of the best clutch hitters in the Atlantic Sun Conference on Saturday afternoon at Harley Park with a three-run game-tying triple in the eighth inning of the first game and with a two-run game-winning single in the second game of a doubleheader against second-place Lipscomb, lifting Upstate to 9-5 and 5-4 wins.
When the dust settled on the field on Saturday evening, Bisgounis helped Upstate (20-21 overall, 13-11 A-Sun) do something not even conference leader FGCU was able to do, win a conference series against the Bisons (21-18 overall, 15-9 A-Sun), who had won seven straight A-Sun series to start the season. Upstate also crossed the 20-win plateau for the seventh straight season, marking another Upstate record.
Junior Phillip Morgan (Campobello, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) led the Spartans offensively, going 4-for-7 with two runs and a RBI during the doubleheader.
An eight-run eighth inning that featured bases loaded triples from both Bisgounis and sophomore Brian Dempsey (Montverde, Fla./East Rudge) helped the Spartans overcome a three-run deficit and hold on for a 9-5 win in the first game of the doubleheader.
Down 4-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Upstate rallied off Brandon McClurg, who earlier this season tossed a no-hitter against Kennesaw State. Senior Andrew Runion (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) walked to start the rally and then Upstate got a break when the second baseman dropped the ball on a force out on Morgan's fielder's choice. Freshman Reed Lishen (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) singled through the right side to load the bases for Bisgounis, who cleared the sacks with a lined triple that rolled to the wall. Junior Kyle Simpson (Lyman, S.C./Byrnes) drew a walk on five pitches, chasing McClurg from the mound.
Junior Eric Guillen (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) was hit by a pitch on a bunt attempt to reload the bases, setting up Dempsey, who once again cleared the sacks with a triple again in the left center gap that rolled past the drawn-in outfield. Freshman Blake Green (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) followed with a bloop single to short right-center that fell past the drawn-in infield to score Dempsey. A sac bunt moved Green to second and Runion drove him in with a single through the left side of the infield.
Lipscomb scored two runs in the second inning, using three hits and an error. The Bisons' Ryan Wilkins had an RBI double in the frame. Upstate got one run back in the bottom of the inning, as Morgan led off with a single through the left side. Lishen followed with a single to center and after a fielder's choice cut down Morgan, Simpson singled up the middle to score Lishen.
The Bisons took a three-run lead in the seventh inning, as they used two bunt singles and a triple to right from Allen Bolden to score two runs.
Green went 2-for-5 with a run and a RBI, Runion went 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI, Morgan went 2-for-4 with a run, Lishen went 2-for-4 with two runs, Simpson went 2-for-3 with a run and a RBI and Dempsey went 2-for-4 with a run and three RBIs for the Spartans, who mashed 14 hits in the contest. Bolden went 3-for-5 with three RBIs for the Bisons.
Junior Phillip Myers (Louisville, Ky./Seminole C.C.) (1-1) picked up his first win as a Spartan, tossing 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and a run. He struck out one. Senior Scott Eckard (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary) pitched well as the starter, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs. He walked three and struck out three.
Brandon McClurg (5-2) took the loss for the Bisons, as he went seven-plus innings, allowing 10 hits, six runs and four walks. He struck out four.
Another eighth-inning rally led to three runs and helped the Spartans take a 5-4 lead in the second game, capped by a two-run single by the day's hero in Bisgounis to ensure the sweep.
With two outs and down 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Tanner started the rally by hitting a ball through the 5.5 hole. Runion drew a walk on five pitches and Morgan hit a ball up the middle on a 1-0 count that slipped behind the pitcher's back and into center field to score Tanner and make it a one-run game.
After a pitching change brought in the right-handed Josh Smith, right-handed sophomore Jacob Breen (Marietta, Ga./Birmingham Southern) was allowed to bat. He drew a full-count walk to load the bases for Bisgounis. On a 1-1 pitch, Bisgounis swatted a pitch down the left field line that landed just feet from the line and feet from the charging Bison outfielder. It was more than enough to score both Runion and Morgan.
In the ninth, junior Justin Hayes (Mauldin, S.C./Mauldin) picked up his third save, allowing two hits, but leaving runners stranded on first and third thanks to getting Bolden, who had five hits on the day, to ground out to first base.
Senior Kyle Bowley (Apopka, Fla./Apopka) (5-2) earned his fifth win of the season despite pitching with a sore hamstring. The senior hurler tossed eight innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs for his sixth quality start of the season. He walked one and struck out five during his 121-pitch outing. After the second inning, Bowley allowed just two hits and he retired the last 11 batters he faced in a row to win his 17th career game, which is tied for fourth in school history.
Lipscomb scored an unearned run in the first inning thanks to a single, an error and a sac fly and three more runs in the second inning helped it take a 4-0 lead. Shane Simpkins, Ben Williams and Bolden each doubled in the inning for the Bisons.
Upstate added single tallies in the fourth and fifth innings to cut the lead down to two runs. Tanner led off the fourth with a single and Runion and Morgan followed with singles of their own to load the bases. A sac fly scored Tanner. In the fifth, Dempsey found a hole in the right side with two outs and Green followed with a single to right field. The right fielder's throw got away from the third baseman as Dempsey slid into the bag and Dempsey was able to score before the third baseman could rach the ball at the edge of the infield dirt.
Tanner and Morgan led the Spartans with two hits a piece, as Tanner scored twice and Morgan added a run and a RBI. Jorge Gutierrez and Bolden each had two hits and a RBI for Lipscomb.
Mike Dunn (3-3) got the hard-luck loss, pitching 7 2/3 innings for the Bisons, allowing just seven hits and four earned runs. He walked two and struck out three.
The Spartans are back in action on Tuesday afternoon when they travel down I-26 to Clinton, S.C., to face Presbyterian at the PC Baseball Complex. First pitch for the game is set for 3 p.m.
