April 17, 2009

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Junior Matt Branham (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) became the sixth pitcher in school history to reach 150 career strikeouts with his first of five punchouts on Friday night, but the USC Upstate baseball team fell to ETSU, 4-2, in an Atlantic Sun Conference series opener at Harley Park.

Branham (0-3), who is now fifth in school history with 154 career strikeouts, pitched well, allowing seven hits and just three earned runs in six innings, but ETSU's Chas Byrne (4-2) threw his first career complete game, allowing eight hits, two runs and striking out a career-high nine to earn the win.

The Bucs (16-19 overall, 7-12 A-Sun) jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the fifth inning, thanks to single runs in the second and fourth inning, with both runs being scored after doubles by Derek Trent. In the fifth inning, Troy Mendez hit a two-run homer to right field.

The Spartans (10-26 overall, 3-16 A-Sun) finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, as senior Tommy Shovlin (Merritt Island, Fla./Daytona Beach C.C.) singled to right to lead off. After a fielder's choice put junior Ryan Wilkins (Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) on, Wilkins took second on a wild pitch. After a popout, he scored on a line single by senior Kyle Simpson (Lyman, S.C./Byrnes).

Upstate used two-out hits in the bottom of the eighth to cut the Bucs' lead to two runs, as junior Jimmy Tanner (Fayetteville, Ga./Starr's Mill) doubled to center field and senior Phillip Morgan (Campbello, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) doubled into the right-center field gap to score Tanner. However, a groundout ended the inning.

The Spartans got the tying run on in the ninth after a leadoff single by sophomore Blake Green (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern), but Byrne settled down to strike out the next three batters in a row to close the game.

Morgan led the Spartans, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Tanner added a 1-for-3 game with a walk and a double. Trent led the Bucs with two doubles and a run. Both teams managed just eight hits.

Sophomore Tim Fournier (Seneca, S.C./Walhalla) pitched three innings of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out three.

Upstate wraps up its set with ETSU on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader set at Harley Park. Eric Prince '91 is set to throw out the first pitch for the doubleheader set with the Bucs.