Game One Box (PDF) | Game Two Box (PDF)
Macon, Ga. – The USC Upstate softball team hit three home runs en route to sweeping a key A-Sun doubleheader from Mercer Saturday afternoon at Sikes Field. The Spartans won by scores of 3-2 and 8-0.
The series was a battle between the first (Upstate) and second (Mercer) place teams in the league standings. Upstate ended the day with its 13th straight win overall and 11th straight in A-Sun play. The Spartans stand 36-4 overall and 15-2 in the A-Sun. Mercer fell to 29-13 overall and 11-4 in the league. The teams will end their three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:00 at Sikes Field.
"It felt very good to see our pitchers hold their offense in check the whole day," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "I knew Mercer was a really good hitting team and it makes me feel good about what have with our pitching staff. Shellie stepped up big today both times we needed her. I am proud of her for becoming a mature hitter."
In a game befitting a battle between the top two teams in the A-Sun standings entering the day Saturday, the first game was a thriller. It was a pitcher's duel early as Upstate's Lexi Shubert and Mercer's Kirsten Stevens kept the bats quiet. Shubert entered the game with a 14-1 record and a 1.04 ERA, while Stevens entered with an 11-2 record and a 1.94 ERA.
Through the first three innings, each team managed just one hit. Stevens also got a borderline home run saving play from McKenzie Woody in the top of the first when Spartan Maddison Kieffer lifted a long fly ball to center and Woody reached up at the top of the fence and made the catch. Had Woody not made the catch, it would have either been a home run or gone for extra bases.
Woody kept Upstate off the scoreboard again in the fourth. With runners on first and third and two outs, Spartan Dana Landers sent a liner into right center. Woody, though, lunged to grab the liner for the final out of the inning to keep the game scoreless.
Mercer also tried to make some noise in the bottom of the fourth. The Bears put runners on first and second with one out, but Shubert got a pop out and a fly out to end the inning and the threat.
Upstate was the first to crack the scoreboard courtesy of Shellie Robinson's bat. The junior led off the top of the sixth with a monster solo shot to left to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. It was her league-leading 14th homer of the year. Prior to her homer, the Spartans had managed just three hits through five innings. The Spartans went on to put runners on first and third with two outs, but couldn't push anything else across.
Mercer responded in the bottom of the sixth. The Bears put runners on first and second with back-to-back singles at the top of the order. The Spartans loaded the bases with no outs when Caroline Taylor was hit by a pitch. Shubert got Krista Kennedy to ground to third and the Spartans got a force out at the plate for the first out of the inning. However, Randi Rea singled to left to plate the Bears' first run and tie the game at 1-1. Shubert, though, continued to battle and got a pop up to third and a foul out to third to end the inning as the game went to the seventh all knotted up.
In a game that had late-inning fireworks, Robinson provided some more pop in the top of the seventh. She hit an opposite field two-run homer to give the Spartans a 3-1 lead.
In a game that had some ebb and flows late, the bottom of the seventh was tension-filled. Mercer put runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the seventh. The Bears cut the Upstate lead to 3-2 on Kaytlin Haney's ground out to third. Shubert then got the biggest strikeout of the game, getting a called third strike against Taylor to end the game and give the Spartans a 3-2 win.
Shubert went the distance and improved to 15-1 on the year with the win. She allowed two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. Stevens also went the distance and fell to 11-3 after allowing three runs on eight hits.
Robinson was the star of game one at the plate for Upstate. She finished with two homers and three RBIs to lead the Spartans. Meredith Barnes also collected a pair of hits.
Although Upstate put runners on base in each of the first two innings, the second game began much like the first with both team's pitchers holding the other scoreless early on. Upstate starter Anna Miller got a standout defensive play in the second to keep the Bears off the scoreboard. With a runner on first, Kaylynn Sloat tripled to right. Spartan right fielder Hayley Reinfeld collected the ball in the corner and threw it in to Cheyenne Griffin as the cutoff. Griffin turned and fired home to Erin Schattle who tagged out the Bear runner for the final out of the inning.
Mercer put runners on first and second with no outs in the third. Miller, though, hung tough and struck out the next three batters – the second, third and fourth in the lineup – to get out of the inning.
Upstate used the long ball to grab the lead just as it had done in the first. However, it wasn't Robinson who delivered. The Spartans had runners on first and second following an Aly Schneider single and a Robinson walk. Kendall Settlemyre followed with a three-run shot that cleared the fences by 15 feet to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead. It was her ninth homer of the season.
The Spartans weren't done. Upstate loaded the bases with one out and Hayley Reinfeld doubled to left center to plate two more runs and give the Spartans a 5-0 lead. After a Mercer pitching change, Upstate loaded the bases again. Schneider reached on a fielder's choice to drive in another run and give the Spartans a 6-0 lead.
Mercer looked to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth, putting runners on the corners with one out. However, Miller struck out a batter and after a throw down to third on the same play bounced away, Kieffer came up with the ball and threw out the Bear runner at home for the final out of the inning.
Upstate put runners on first and third with one out when Erin Schattle singled with a bunt to drive in a run. With Schattle attempting to advance to second, the Mercer pitcher threw the ball away, allowing Reinfeld to score as well to give the Spartans an 8-0 lead.
Miller earned the win for Upstate. She improved to 13-2 on the year after scattering eight hits with eight strikeouts. She leads the A-Sun with 150 on the year. Julia Rice took the loss for Mercer after allowing six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of work to fall to 8-3 on the year.
Griffin, Landers and Reinfeld each finished with two hits to lead the Spartans at the plate. Settlemyre drove in three runs and Reinfled plated two.
