Upstate Battles Charlotte in Final Non-Conference Game of the Year
4/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate softball team begins the final week of the regular season and will play its final non-conference game of the year when it plays host to the Charlotte 49ers Wednesday evening at 5 at Cyrill Stadium.
Upstate enters the game having won seven of its last eight games and stands 36-8 on the year. The Spartans are ranked No. 38 in the latest NCAA RPI ranking and look to continue to build on its resume for a third consecutive postseason appearance. Upstate claimed an impressive non-conference win last week when it traveled to Athens, Ga., and took a 4-3 victory at No. 11 Georgia behind the game-winning hit from Karla Beasley.
Charlotte enters Wednesday's game with a 22-21 record. The 49ers have only won one game in the last seven outings, that a 1-0 decision over a tough UAB squad in game one of their doubleheader last Saturday. Charlotte has played common opponents with Upstate against Gardner-Webb, South Carolina, Furman, North Carolina, Elon, Appalachian State and Western Carolina and stands 4-8 in those contests. Upstate is 8-3 this season against the common opponents.
Upstate and Charlotte have played 18 times in a series that dates back to the 1996 season. The series is tied at nine wins apiece, though the Spartans have won the last three games in the series. Upstate is 4-3 against the 49ers since moving to Division I for the 2008 season, though the teams have not played since 2010.
Upstate will use Wednesday's game to get ready for the weekend when it plays host to Northern Kentucky in the Spartans' final A-Sun series of the season. Upstate needs just one win or a Kennesaw State loss against Lipscomb to clinch its second consecutive A-Sun regular season championship outright.
Fans can follow the action at upstatespartans.com with links to live stats for the game. Complete postgame coverage will also be available.
