March 31, 2009

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

CLINTON, S.C. - Senior Kyle Simpson (Lyman, S.C./Byrnes), freshman Jeff Medley (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) and senior Tommy Shovlin (Merritt Island, Fla./Daytona Beach) each had two hits, but six unanswered runs led Presbyterian to a 9-4 win over the USC Upstate baseball team in non-conference action on Tuesday afternoon.

After a first inning run by the Blue Hose (5-18 overall) thanks to a single and two walks, the Spartans (7-18 overall) took a 3-1 lead in the third inning. Medley led off the inning with a towering homer to left field and Shovlin and freshman Austin Liput (Oviedo, Fla./Trinity Prep) followed with singles. A sac bunt moved the runners into scoring position and Simpson drove in Shovlin with a single to center field. A wild pitch brought in Liput.

The Blue Hose got a run back in the bottom of the third, but Upstate took a 4-2 lead in the fourth as sophomore Keith Bisgounis (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) reached on an error, took second on a single to right by Medley, third on a sac bunt and scored on a sac fly by Liput.

Presbyterian scored a run thanks to a single and a walk in the fourth to cut the lead to 4-3 before taking the lead in the fifth, as a triple by Gabe Grammer put the Blue Hose in the lead. Three more runs scored in the sixth, as Jared Combs posted a two-RBI double before scoring and Presbyterian rounded out the scoring with a single run in the seventh.

Cory Lyda, Combs, Grammer and Zac Rhinesmith led the Blue Hose with two hits a pace, as Combs posted two runs and three RBI and Lyda added two RBI and a run. Rhinesmith added a run.

Medley hit his second homer of the season as he finished 2-for-4 with a run and RBI. Simpson added a RBI and Shovlin scored once.

Mitchell Odom (1-0) earned the win with seven innings of six-hit ball, allowing four runs, three earned and striking out two. Junior Tyler Oliver (Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill) (0-3) took the loss, pitching two innings, allowing five hits and three runs.

The Spartans return home after playing five straight on the road, as they get set to host Gardner-Webb in a non-conference game at 6 p.m. Wednesday.