Upstate Closes Season with Weekend Series at Stetson
5/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Games 53-55: USC Upstate (16-36, 5-18) vs. Stetson (22-31, 11-13)
Thursday - Saturday | 5.15. - 5.17.2014 | 6:30 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. | 1 p.m. EST
DeLand, Fla. | Conrad Park
Spartanburg, S.C. – After ending the home schedule in style with a come-from-behind win Tuesday over Charleston Southern, the USC Upstate baseball teams look to ride that momentum south when the Spartans travel to DeLand, Fla., to begin a three-game series at Stetson Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. from Conrad Park.
Upstate freshman right-hander Zac Manuppelli (3-5, 5.68) will take the mound Thursday in game one and battle Stetson righty Taylor Cockrell (5-4, 4.54). Southpaw David Roseboom (2-6, 3.79) is scheduled to face fellow left-hander Austin Perez (1-7, 6.22) Friday in game two, while junior righty Dylan Parker (1-5, 5.76) will pitch game three on Saturday. Stetson has yet to announce its starting pitcher for the finale.
The Spartans enter the weekend having scored 34 runs over their last four games and are hitting .310 as a team during that stretch. Upstate banged out 12 hits Tuesday night and rallied from a six-run deficit after the first inning to knock off Charleston Southern 10-9 behind a walk-off RBI single from Erik Samples in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Upstate relievers Richie Lacell and Bryan Hathaway held the Buccaneers without a hit for the final five innings to allow the Spartans to complete the comeback. Hathaway would go on to pick up the victory for his first career win in a Spartan uniform.
USC Upstate and Stetson will be meeting on the diamond for the 21st time when the two schools face off Thursday evening. Stetson is 12-8 all-time against Upstate after winning two of three last season at Harley Park. Upstate, however, is 5-5 all-time at Conrad Park and took two of three in 2012 in the most recent meeting in DeLand. In addition, Upstate has not lost a series at Conrad Park since dropping two of three games in 2008.
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