University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Belmont
Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short For Spartans Against Bruins, 6-3
4/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 25, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A ninth-inning rally for the USC Upstate baseball team plated one run, but fell short after sending the winning run to the plate, as Belmont took the first game of a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series set, 6-3, on Friday afternoon at Greer Stadium.
The Spartans used the carousel in the ninth inning to bring the winning run to the plate, as junior Phillip Morgan (Campobello, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) drew a one-out walk. Senior Kyle Bowley (Apopka, Fla./Apopka) hit a single threw the left side and after a strikeout, an error loaded the bases for junior Eric Guillen (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks), who drew a walk. However, a groundout ended the game.
Belmont jumped out front in the third inning, using two walks, a single and a two-run double from Nate Woods to score three runs.
Meanwhile, Belmont starter Carlo Testa was unhittable, as Upstate went 5 1/3 innings before freshman Keith Bisgounis (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) beat out a ball hit into the hole, as the shortstop's throw to first was not in time.
The Bruins scored two more runs in the top of the sixth, taking advantage of a two singles and a walk to take a 5-0 lead. Upstate responded in the seventh with two of their owns to keep it a three-run game, as both sophomore Jimmy Tanner (Fayetteville, Ga./Stars Mill) and senior Andrew Runion (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) led off with singles. They both advanced on a passed ball, allowing Tanner to score on a groundout before Runion crossed the plate on another passed ball.
Testa added a homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to make it a 6-2 game.
Testa (5-2) earned the win, throwing seven innings and allowing just three hits and two runs. He walked three, struck out four and threw a wild pitch. Upstate was held to just four hits in the game by three Bruin pitchers.
Sophomore Matt Branham (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) (4-5) got the loss, throwing seven innings, allowing seven hits, six runs and three walks. He struck out four.
Daniel Wagner was the lone player in the game to post two hits, as he went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Upstate wraps up its three-game set with Belmont on Saturday with a doubleheader set for 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET at Greer Stadium.
