Spartans Renew A-Sun Rivalry with Lipscomb this Weekend
4/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate softball team will carry its six-game winning streak into action this weekend when it plays host to A-Sun rival Lipscomb Saturday and Sunday at Cyrill Stadium. The series could go a long way in determining seeding for the upcoming A-Sun Tournament in May.
Upstate claimed a thrilling 4-3 victory at No. 11 Georgia Wednesday night in Athens and looks to carry the momentum of that win into action against a Lipscomb squad that is the only A-Sun school that has a winning record all-time against the Spartans. The Bisons own a 14-10 lead in the all-time series, though Upstate has won six consecutive games in the series, including three in the last two A-Sun Tournaments.
Upstate enters the weekend with a 35-7 overall record and a 14-1 mark in the A-Sun. The Spartans have won nine straight A-Sun games since dropping the series finale at Jacksonville on March 22. They also have a four-game lead over Kennesaw State in second place, an Owl team the Spartans swept earlier this season in Kennesaw, Ga. Following this weekend, Upstate will have just one more conference series to play before the A-Sun Tournament when it plays host to Northern Kentucky next weekend at Cyrill Stadium. Upstate's magic number to clinch the A-Sun regular season championship is three over the next two weekends, while the Spartans can clinch the No. 1 seed in the upcoming A-Sun Tournament with two wins and a loss from both Lipscomb and Kennesaw State.
Lipscomb enters the weekend with a 22-22 overall record and a 7-5 mark in the A-Sun. The Bisons have played a tough non-conference schedule, playing five games against nationally-ranked teams. They have won three of their last four games, including taking 2-of-3 from North Florida last weekend. Following this weekend, Lipscomb still has conference games with Kennesaw State (home) and Florida Gulf Coast (away) remaining.
Fans can follow the action at upstatespartans.com with links to live stats for all three games of the series and the ESPN3 broadcast of Saturday's doubleheader. Complete postgame coverage will also be available.
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