May 14, 2009

Final Stats

BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Facing the country's fourth-best scoring offense and with an already tired bullpen from playing eight games in the last nine days, the USC Upstate baseball team turned to junior Tyler Oliver (Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill) to eat some innings in their Atlantic Sun Conference-opener at Campbell on Thursday afternoon. He delivered by throwing a career-high 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and keeping the Upstate in the game long enough for the offense to deliver a five-run fifth inning en route to a 7-4 win at Taylor Field.

Freshman Adam Waters (Denver, N.C./Hopewell) picked up where Oliver left off, allowing just one hit and one run in 3 2/3 innings for his first collegiate save, combining with Oliver for the six-hitter.

The win by the Spartans (15-37 overall, 5-23 A-Sun) does serious damage to the Camels' playoff hopes, as the Camels (27-22 overall, 7-17 A-Sun) stayed at least one game behind ETSU for the sixth and final A-Sun playoff slot. The Bucs have a magic number of two currently and are in the midst of the first of their three-game set with Lipscomb.

Campbell scored two runs in the first to start the game, thanks to a chopped double by Ellis Lowe over the third baseman's head and two-run double by the nation's leader in the category, Zach Johnson, with two outs. An error followed, but a miscue on the basepaths on a double steal helped the Spartans cut Johnson down at the plate to end the inning and escape further damage.

The shutdown of the Camels' running game boosted Oliver's confidence, who allowed a two-out single in the second and then retired the side in order in the third before getting out of a runners on first and second jam with one out in the fourth by getting two pop outs.

The Upstate offense got to work in the fifth inning after Campbell faced just one over the minimum through the first four innings. Senior Eric Guillen (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) led off with a bouncer under a diving third baseman's glove. He stole second on a curve and then scored on a bouncer up the middle by freshman Austin Moyer (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford). After a groundout moved Moyer to second and a strikeout, freshman Jeff Medley (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) reached on an error, scoring Moyer. Junior Ryan Wilkins (Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) followed by dumping a single into left to score Medley, who stole second, and sophomore Keith Bisgounis (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) added another single into left to score Wilkins, who also stole second. After taking second on the throw, Bisgounis scored when junior Jimmy Tanner (Fayetteville, Ga./Starr's Mill) reached on an infield hit and an error helped each runner advance a base.

A two-out RBI double by Brian Gana in the fifth inning helped Campbell cut the lead to 5-3, but Oliver escaped the jam with a groundout. He then got a groundout to start the sixth before allowing a walk, sending Waters into the game, who quickly struck out the first two he faced to end the inning.

Waters retired the side in order in the eighth, running through the teeth of Campbell's lineup, which features the A-Sun's top two hitters in Lowe and Ryan Hamme. In the eighth, however, Gana doubled to lead off, tagged to third on a foul out and scored on an error, cutting it to a one-run game. However, a strikeout-throw out double-play on a full count pitch got Upstate out of the inning.

Senior Tommy Shovlin (Merritt Island, Fla./Daytona Beach C.C.) led off the ninth with a walk, igniting a Spartan rally. After a sac bunt, Medley drilled a double into the left-center field gap and Wilkins added a single up the middle to score Wilkins and make it 7-4.

In the bottom of the inning, Waters walked two batters to bring the tying run up in the form of Hamme, who entered the game hitting .464, and got a fly out to left to end the game.

Oliver (2-5) went a career-long 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and three runs. He walked three and struck out two. Waters pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing a hit and run while walking two and striking out four. Jeff Rydman (5-1) took the loss for the Camels, allowing one earned run and nine hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one.

Wilkins led the Spartans, going 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI. Tanner and Guillen also each added two hits as Upstate notched 12 hits in the game. Gana, with his two doubles, was the only Camel to post two hits.

Upstate will wrap up its season with a Friday doubleheader against the Camels at 1 p.m.