Game 1 Box Score (.pdf)
Game 2 Box Score (.pdf)
Spartanburg, S.C. – Abbie Millete and Amy Szymanowski both homered to highlight an afternoon that saw the USC Upstate softball team register a doubleheader sweep over the Kennesaw State Owls Saturday afternoon from Cyrill Stadium.
Upstate improves to 36-12 on the season and 8-5 in conference play, while Kennesaw State drops to 25-21 overall and 6-8 in the league.
The Spartans earned the sweep with scores of 4-1 in game one and 2-1 in game two.
Upstate concludes its three-game series with the Owls Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Sunday is also Senior Day as the Spartans will honor Szymanowski prior to the game.
Game 1 – Kennesaw State 1, USC Upstate 4
Upstate scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning, providing all of the offense it would need, as Holly McKinnon did not allow a hit to give the Spartans 4-1 victory in game one.
McKinnon (21-6) came on in relief of starter Lexi Shubert in the third inning and held Kennesaw State without a hit over 4.1 innings, while walking two and striking out six. Logan Viers (11-6) took the loss giving up four runs on four hits, four walks and four strikeouts over 4.0 innings of work.
Upstate had six players record one hit each in the opener while Millete had a game-high two RBI. Taylor Denton, Rachel Dennis and Noelle Winkles posted one hit apiece for the Owls, and Missy Perkowski drove in a run.
Perkowski gave Kennesaw State the 1-0 lead in the top of the third on her sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Kara Chambers. After Winkles led off the third with a single, Chambers reached on a throwing error on her sacrifice bunt attempt. The Owls loaded the bases the following at-bat on a bunt single by Denton. Perkowski plated Chambers for the game's first run two batters later.
The Spartans began the bottom-half of the third with Case taking a 0-1 pitch from Viers down the right field line for a leadoff triple. Ryan Rector drove in Case with her RBI single to tie the game 1-1. Karla Beasley's RBI sacrifice bunt gave Upstate its first lead of the game at 2-1. Millete's sixth home run of the season with two outs scored two runs and extended the Spartans lead to 4-1.
McKinnon retired the first eight batters she faced after entering the game with two outs in the top of the third. The junior would get Courtney Sutter to fly out to Case in left field to give Upstate the game one win.
Game 2 – Kennesaw State 1, USC Upstate 2
For the second straight game, McKinnon earned the win in relief while Szymanowski's solo home run in the bottom of the sixth sent the Spartans to a 2-1 victory in game two and completed the doubleheader sweep on Saturday.
McKinnon (22-6) entered the game in the top of the first for Shubert and tossed 6.2 scoreless innings, and did not allow a walk while striking out nine. Morgan Sikes (11-5) suffered the loss after throwing 6.0 innings and surrendered two runs on eight hits, one walk and no strikeouts.
Case and Caley Chappel both went 2-for-3 to lead Upstate offensively, and Szymanowski and Kori Wancheck contributed one RBI. Denton had three hits for Kennesaw State and Sutter tallied one RBI.
Shubert allowed three consecutive singles with one out to begin the top of the first and saw the Owls take a 1-0 lead on Sutter's RBI single to right field.
Sikes held the Spartans scoreless over the first three innings until Wancheck tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Upstate used a two-out rally in the frame as Chappel and Megan Obier reached on singles allowing Wancheck to pinch-hit for Kendsey Chappelear. Wancheck delivered with the game-tying single on a 1-1 pitch to center field that scored Kristen Wright.
Szymanowski hit the first pitch she saw from Sikes to start the bottom of the sixth over the center field fence for her 13th home run of the season, giving the Spartans a 2-1 lead.
McKinnon pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning and ended the game with a strikeout, securing the doubleheader sweep.
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