UMass Lowell Box Score (.pdf)
Central Michigan Box Score (.pdf)
Clearwater, Fla. – The USC Upstate softball team earned a pair of victories over the UMass Lowell River Hawks and Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday during day two of the Under Armour Showcase from the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
Upstate improves to 22-3 on the season after defeating UMass Lowell 9-0 in five innings and winning in walk off fashion over Central Michigan 1-0 in eight innings.
The Spartans conclude play at the Under Armour Showcase Sunday morning at 9 a.m. against Army on field eight of the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
Game 1 – USC Upstate 9, UMass Lowell 0 (5)
Karla Beasley hit a grand slam, and Amanda Storch notched her sixth win of the season, as Upstate began day two of the Under Armour Showcase with a 9-0 win in five innings over UMass Lowell.
Storch (6-1) limited the River Hawks to just one hit over 4.0 innings of work and did not allow a walk while striking out five. Lauren Ramirez (0-2) took the loss after surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits, five walks and no strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work.
Beasley was one of four players to record two hits and drove in a game-high four runs. Kendsey Chappelear, Abbie Millete and Megan Obier all had two hits for the Spartans. Tori Alcorn had the lone hit for UMass Lowell.
The River Hawks picked up their only hit of the game in the bottom of the first when Alcorn led of the inning with a double off the center field wall. Alcorn would move to third on a fly out by Alisha Welch, but would be stranded there after Storch ended the frame by striking out Samantha McQueen.
Upstate plated single runs in the second and third innings to lead UMass Lowell 2-0 through three. Obier put the Spartans ahead 1-0 in the top of the second as her suicide squeeze scored Kristen Wright, who pinch ran for Abbie Millete. Millete started the inning with a single, and Wright would advance to third after a Caley Chappel walk and stolen base. In the third, Millete's sacrifice fly to right field brought home Amy Szymanowski. Szymanowski reached on an error two batters earlier and went to third on Beasley's single to left field.
Beasley's grand slam, her fifth home run of the season, highlighted a six-run fourth inning as Upstate broke the game open with an 8-0 lead. Szymanowski and Ryan Rector manufactured the first two runs of the inning after back-to-back bases loaded walks.
Brittany Case added an RBI groundout in the top of the fifth to give the Spartans the 9-0 victory. Obier scored on the groundout after starting the inning with a single to left center field, and moved across to third on a passed ball and Chappelear's infield single.
Lexi Shubert came on in relief of Storch and pitched a scoreless bottom of the fifth inning.
Game 2 – Central Michigan 0, USC Upstate 1 (8)
Ryan Rector connected on the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the eight, and Holly McKinnon tossed a complete game, as Upstate won its third game of the Under Armour Showcase 1-0 in eight innings over Central Michigan.
McKinnon (12-1) recorded her eighth complete game of the season after striking out a season-high 12 batters and holding the Chippewas to four hits while walking two. Rachael Knapp (6-5) suffered the loss after pitching 7.1 innings and giving up one run (none earned) on five hits, one walk and 10 strikeouts.
Rector had a game-high two hits and drove in the game's only run. Four different Central Michigan batters contributed one hit each.
McKinnon and Knapp combined to allow just five baserunners over the first three innings and registered eight strikeouts during that stretch.
The Spartans looked to strike first in the bottom of the fourth as they had two on base following Szymanowski reaching on an error and Beasley being hit by a pitch. Wright and Lindsay O'Steen, both pinch running, would steal second and third, but Knapp would strike out Kori Wancheck to end the inning.
The Chippewas would put two more on base in the top of the fifth on a hit by pitch and single. McKinnon ended the frame with a fly out to Rector in right field.
Millete and Wancheck led off the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back singles with one out against Knapp. A runner interference and strike out ended the inning.
McKinnon retired nine of the final 10 batters she faced and sent the game into the bottom of the eighth tied 0-0 after picking up her 12th, and final, strikeout of the game.
Obier was placed on second to start the eighth and Chappelear was intentionally walked putting runners on first and second with no outs. After Case grounded out to Knapp, Rector won the game for Upstate as her base hit went past a diving Rachel Vieira at second. The walk off was the second this season for the Spartans.
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