La Salle Box Score (.pdf)
Virginia Box Score (.pdf)
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate softball team opened play at the Spartan Classic on a positive note Friday afternoon as it picked up a pair of wins over the La Salle Explorers and Virginia Cavaliers at Cyrill Stadium.
The Spartans earned an 8-0 win in five innings over La Salle to start the day before defeating Virginia 11-1 in six innings to close out the day.
Upstate improves to 9-1 on the season and will host Morehead State and Virginia Tech in back-to-back games Saturday afternoon. The Spartans face Morehead State at 1 p.m. before turning around at 3 p.m. to take on Virginia Tech.
Game 1 – La Salle 0, USC Upstate 8 (5)
Ryan Rector and Caley Chappel each had two RBI, while Lexi Shubert tied her career-high of 10 strikeouts, as Upstate began competition at the Spartan Classic with an 8-0 win versus La Salle in five innings.
Shubert (3-0) tossed a complete game for the Spartans and allowed just two hits and two walks to go with her 10 strikeouts. McKenzie Peace (0-1) suffered the loss for the Explorers after pitching 4.0 innings and surrendering five runs (four earned) on three hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
Five different Upstate hitters had one hit each in the contest, and Rector and Chappel drove in a pair of runs.
Kendra Heyer and Tori Gollie had the only two hits for La Salle.
Shubert ran into trouble in the top of the first as the Explorers loaded the bases with no outs when Michelle Hagarty walked, Heyer singled and Christina Bascara was hit by a pitch. The junior managed to get out of the inning without allowing a run as she struck out the next three hitters. Shubert would retire the next seven batters, and eight out of nine, via strikeout allowing the Spartans to build a 3-0 lead.
Upstate took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on Chappel's two-out single to right center field. Megan Obier extended the Spartans lead to 3-0 in the third as she scored from third base after Brittany Case reached on a throwing error.
Upstate broke the game open in the fourth inning courtesy of a five-run frame highlighted by Obier's first career home run. Ansley Gilstrap, who led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, scored the first run on an illegal pitch. Rector plated Case and Kendsey Chappelear on her two-run double to right center field as the Spartans went up 5-0. Rector later came home on a double by Amy Szymanowski.
Shubert sat down six of the final seven batters she faced to earn her third win of the season and give Upstate the 8-0 victory.
Game 2 – Virginia 1, USC Upstate 11 (6)
Holly McKinnon nearly matched the pitching effort by Shubert from game one as the Spartans used a six-run fifth inning to capture an 11-1 win in six innings over Virginia.
McKinnon (3-1) pitched a complete game and gave up one run on three hits, one walk and four strikeouts. Erika Osherow (2-6) took the loss for the Cavaliers after allowing 11 runs (eight earned) on 11 hits, three walks and three strikeouts.
Rector, Szymanowski and Karla Beasley all had two hits and three RBI for Upstate. Three Virginia hitters recorded one hit apiece and Osherow had the only RBI.
Chappelear used aggressive base running in the bottom of the first to give the Spartans an early 1-0 lead. After Gilstrap reached on a bunt single, she attempted to go to second forcing a rundown. Chappelear then broke for home and just beat the throw into the plate.
Osherow helped her cause in the top of second with a solo homer off McKinnon to tie the score 1-1.
Szymanowski broke the 1-1 tie in the fourth inning after belting her team-leading fourth home run of the season just over the right field fence to put Upstate back in front by one.
A three-run homer by Beasley was the highlight of the six-run fifth inning as the Spartans went ahead 8-1. Prior to the long ball by Beasley, Szymanowski drove in Case and Chappelear with a two RBI single. Case started the scoring with her RBI single through the left side.
Rector sent Upstate off with the 10-run victory following the junior's third homer of the year, a three-run shot, to left center field. Gilstrap and Obier both scored on Rector's home run.
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