Box Score (PDF)

Kennesaw, Ga. – USC Upstate pounded out 17 hits, including three home runs, to open the A-Sun portion of its schedule in grand fashion with a 16-3 victory over Kennesaw State Saturday evening at Bailey Park.

Upstate improved to 15-4 on the year with the win. Kennesaw State fell to 15-7. The teams will complete their three-game conference series Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Bailey Park. The win was the Spartans' fifth in a row over the Owls and eight in the last nine games dating back to 2011.

The 16 runs scored by Upstate were the most ever scored by the Spartans against Kennesaw State in 47 meetings between the two schools. The most Upstate had scored prior to Saturday's game was 10 in a 10-0 victory in Bailey Park in 2013.

Upstate wasted no time in jumping all over Kennesaw State starter Morgan Sikes. Shellie Robinson smacked the first pitch of the game for a single into center field. One out and a Robinson stolen base later, Cheyenne Griffin blasted her ninth home run of the season over the left field fence to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead.

Upstate kept it going in the second. After putting runners on first and second with an Aly Schneider single and Paris Prusak reaching on an error, the Spartans had runners on the corners with one out and the top of the order coming to the plate. Shellie Robinson then delivered a huge blow by belting a three-run home run over the left field wall to give Upstate a 5-0 lead. The homer chased Sikes form the game and reliever Logan Viers entered the circle for the Owls.

Kennesaw State looked to get back in the game in the bottom of the second. With one out, the Owls got three consecutive singles to score their only run of the game and cut into Upstate's lead at 5-1. With runners on second and third and one out, Spartan starter Lexi Shubert got out of any further damage by striking out the next two batters.

Upstate struck again in the third. The Spartans loaded the bases when Hayley Reinfeld singled, Schneider followed with a double and Prusak reached on catcher's interference. Kaitlyn Jaeger brought home a run when her grounder was fielded and thrown home, but Reinfeld beat the throw to give the Spartans a 6-1 advantage. Upstate plated another run on an illegal pitch and Dana Landers singled through the left side to bring home another Spartan to increase its lead to 8-1.

Upstate cracked the scoreboard again in the fourth inning when Schneider doubled to right center and Reinfeld motored all the way home from first base to give the Spartans a 9-1 lead. The hit chased Viers out of the game with Monica Vickery coming on in relief.

Kennesaw State got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth. The Owls put runners on the corners with one out. Taylor Denton reached on a fielder's choice that brought home a run to cut the Upstate lead to 9-2 and put runners on first and second with one out. A walk loaded the bases and Natalie Rhodes drove in another run on a groundout to get Kennesaw State within 9-3.

Upstate's bats responded emphatically in the top of the fifth as the Spartans erupted for seven runs to open a commanding 16-3 lead. All of the runs came with two outs in the inning. Karla Beasley started things off with a two-out RBI-double. The Spartans took the lead back to eight runs, 11-3, on Reinfeld's single to center. Two more runs came across for the Spartans on Prusak's bases loaded, two-run double to right center as Upstate opened a commanding 13-3 lead. Kaitlyn Jaeger punctuated the inning with a three-run home run to left as Upstate opened a 16-3 advantage.

Shubert made short work of it in the bottom of the fifth. After getting the leadoff Owl to pop out, she struck out the next two batters to end the game. She improved to 9-3 on the year with the win after allowing three runs on six hits. She also struck out five Owls. Sikes took the loss for Kennesaw State and fell to 4-4 after allowing five runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Schneider led Upstate at the plate, finishing 4-for-4 with an RBI and three runs. Beasley added three hits, while four other Spartans had two hits. Jaeger accounted for four RBIs to lead Upstate, while Robinson drove in three.

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