Feb. 20, 2009

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate baseball team got the tying run as close as second base in the bottom of the eighth inning, but four runs by George Mason in the top of the ninth put the 2009 season-opener out of the Spartans' reach, as the Patriots posted an 11-5 win at Harley Park in the nightcap of the Courtyard by Marriott Baseball Classic on Friday afternoon.

Down 4-2, Upstate (0-1 overall) got to work in the sixth inning with two outs as junior Jimmy Tanner (Fayetteville, Ga./Starr's Mill) walked and a fielding error helped senior Phillip Morgan (Campobello, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) reach. Another walk loaded the bases and an infield single off the glove of a diving second baseman by junior Brian Dempsey (Montverde, Fla./East Ridge) scored Tanner, making the score 4-3.

George Mason (1-0 overall) got the lead back to four runs in the top of the seventh inning, as a hit batter and a single set up a homer to left from Justin Soares.

Upstate back into the George Mason lead in the bottom of the seventh inning thanks to two runs with two outs. After a two-out walk helped sophomore Blake Green (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) reach, senior Eric Guillen (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) surprised the Patriots with a bunt and a throwing error by the pitcher put runners on first and second. Tanner followed with a single to right center, scoring Green. Morgan then reached when the first baseman's foot came off the bag, allowing Guillen to score.

Upstate had a chance in the eighth inning, putting the tying run on second base and loading the bases with two outs, thanks to a bunt single by Dempsey, an error and a walk, but a strikeout ended the threat. The Patriots tacked on four runs in the top of the ninth, with a homer from Justin Boar starting a four-hit rally.

The Spartans cut into a four-run Patriot lead in the sixth inning, as Dempsey reached on a walk. After a fielder's choice, junior Jacob Breen (Marietta, Ga./Birmingham Southern) lifted a pitch over the left-field wall for his first career homer.

The Patriots got on the board first in the third inning when a two-out walk to Spencer Wiggins brought up Chris Henderson, who blasted a homer to right-center.

George Mason added two more runs in the fourth inning, as it loaded the bases with no out and used a sac fly and a single to get the runs in.

Junior Matt Branham (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) (0-1) pitched four innings in the loss, allowing four runs and four hits. He struck out three and walked one in his shortest outing since his fifth career start on March 11, 2007.

Mike Modica (1-0) picked up the win for George Mason, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs and four walks. The left-hander struck out one. Ryan Brecko picked up the save with 1 2/3 innings of hitless work, allowing just a walk and striking out one.

Dempsey led the Spartans finishing 2-for-3 with an RBI and Breen added a run and two RBIs thanks to his two-run homer in the fifth inning.

Soares finished 4-for-5 with three runs, a homer, a double and three RBIs and Boar added a 3-for-4, three-run day. Boar and Henderson also homered for the Patriots. Wiggins also added three hits.

In the first game of the Courtyard by Marriott Baseball Classic, Virginia Tech posted a 21-4 win over UNC Asheville. At Wofford College, the Terriers held off SIU Edwardsville, 11-10, in the other game of the dual-site classic.

The Courtyard by Marriott Baseball Classic continues on Saturday, with UNC Asheville playing George Mason in a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m. at Harley Park. Wofford hosts Virginia Tech in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Russell C. King Field and USC Upstate will face SIU Edwardsville at 6 p.m. at Harley Park.

Notes
Ken Dickson threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the season opener with George Mason. Dickson, who earned two letters with the Spartans in 1986-87, still holds the school record for career batting average at .407 and is a member of the Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame.