New Mexico State Box Score (.pdf)
South Florida Box Score (.pdf)
Tampa, Fla. – The USC Upstate softball team opened play at the Under Armour Showcase Friday afternoon as it split a pair of games against the New Mexico State Aggies and South Florida Bulls from USF Softball Stadium.
Upstate currently sits at 20-3 on the season after defeating New Mexico State 3-2 and falling to host South Florida 8-6.
The Spartans return to the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla. tomorrow for day two of the Under Armour Showcase. Upstate faces UMass-Lowell at 11:30 a.m. and Central Michigan at 4:15 p.m.
Game 1 – USC Upstate 3, New Mexico State 2
Holly McKinnon tossed her team-leading seventh complete game of the season, and Abbie Millete added an RBI double, as the Spartans became the first A-Sun team this season to reach the 20-win plateau after defeating New Mexico State 3-2.
McKinnon (11-1) held the Aggies to two runs over 7.0 innings while allowing six hits, four walks and three strikeouts to move her into the lead among conference pitchers in wins. Kayla Green (4-2) suffered the loss for New Mexico State after giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits, one walk and three strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work.
Millete was one of three Upstate players to record two hits each along with Kendsey Chappelear and Karla Beasley. Six different Aggies had one hit apiece, while Emma Adams and Haley Nakamura drove in one run.
The Spartans benefitted from an Aggie throwing error to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Chappelear led off the game with an infield single and immediately stole second. She would then steal third and a throwing error into left field allowed her to score.
Upstate extended its lead to 3-0 in the second inning after plating two highlighted by Millete's RBI double with one out. Amy Szymanowski scored the first run of the frame on a wild pitch by Green.
New Mexico State trimmed the Spartan lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second on Nakamura's single to left center field.
McKinnon allowed the first two Aggie hitters to reach base to start the bottom of the seventh on a single and walk before retiring the next two. Adams made it a 3-2 contest the following at-bat on her RBI single up the middle, but McKinnon responded by getting Kelsey Horton to pop out to Szymanowski and give Upstate the one-run victory.
Game 2 – USC Upstate 6, South Florida 8
Ryan Rector recorded three hits and two RBI as the Spartans saw their season-long 10-game winning streak come to an end with an 8-6 loss to South Florida.
Erica Nunn (7-5) earned the win on the mound after throwing 2.1 innings of relief and surrendering one run on two hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Amanda Storch (5-1) took the loss after pitching 5.1 innings and allowed six runs on 11 hits, three walks and no strikeouts.
Rector had three hits to lead Upstate offensively and drove in two runs along with Szymanowski. Kristen Wyckoff and Juli Weber both collected three hits for the Bulls, and Lee Ann Spivey contributed a game-high five RBI.
Neither team manufactured a run until the bottom of the fourth when Spivey hit a leadoff solo homer to left field giving USF a 1-0 lead.
The Spartans went ahead 4-1 in the top of the fifth after plating four runs in the inning started by Rector's solo home run over the center field fence to even the game 1-1. Case later added a bases loaded walk and Szymanowski capped the scoring with a two-RBI single up the middle to put Upstate in front by three.
South Florida took the lead back at 6-4 in the bottom of the fifth following a five-run inning. Spivey tripled in three runs to conclude the inning, while Mia Fung and Lauren Evans also had an RBI. The Bulls extended their lead to 8-4 in the sixth on back-to-back RBI's from Spivey and Nunn.
The Spartans attempted a late comeback in the top of the seventh but fell two runs shy as South Florida earned the 8-6 win. With two outs, Beasley drove in Case with her RBI single and Bailey Hoch, who was pinch running, came home on Rector's RBI single.
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