Game 1 Box Score (.pdf)

Game 2 Box Score (.pdf)

Spartanburg, S.C. – Karla Beasley combined for three home runs Saturday afternoon as the USC Upstate softball team opened a three-game series with the Jacksonville Dolphins by sweeping a doubleheader from Cyrill Stadium.

Upstate improves to 31-11 on the season and 5-5 in A-Sun play, while Jacksonville falls to 18-23 overall and 2-6 in the conference. The Spartans swept the doubleheader by scores of 15-7 in six innings and 6-4.

The teams conclude the series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. on ESPN3.

Game 1 – Jacksonville 7, USC Upstate 15 (6)
Beasley hit two of her home runs, while driving in two runs and scoring twice as Upstate scored a 15-7 victory in six innings during game one.

Brittany Case, Ryan Rector and Megan Obier all had a team-high three RBI, while Obier and Ansley Gilstrap went 3-for-4 at the plate. Beasley, Amy Szymanowski, Abbie Millete and Kayla Hussey compiled two hits each. Danielle Baker and Jordan Daniels had two hits apiece for the Dolphins, and Brooke Smith contributed a team-best three RBI.

Holly McKinnon (18-6) came on in relief of starter Lexi Shubert to earn the win after pitching 3.0 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, no walks and three strikeouts. Victoria Brown (11-13) took the loss after giving up 11 runs on 10 hits, one walk and four strikeouts in 3.0 innings of work.

Jacksonville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first before the Spartans answered with four runs in the second to lead 4-1. Gilstrap began the scoring with her RBI double to right center field before Obier followed the next at-bat with a single to bring home Millete. Case highlighted the inning with her two-RBI single to left field.

After the Dolphins plated a run in the top of the third, Upstate broke the game open in the bottom-half of the inning with seven runs to extend its lead to 11-2. Beasley's first home run of the afternoon led off the third for the Spartans as they hit three home runs during the inning. Obier would then hit a two-run home run to center field and Rector finished things on her three-run homer to right center field.

Jacksonville responded with five runs in the fourth to make the score 11-7, but Hussey increased Upstate's lead to 12-7 in bottom of the fourth following her RBI double.

Beasley and Szymanowski were responsible for both runs in the fifth as the duo hit back-to-back home runs with two outs, and Case's RBI groundout during the bottom of the sixth secured the 15-7 victory for the Spartans.

Game 2 – Jacksonville 4, USC Upstate 6
Beasley's third, and final, home run of the afternoon proved to be the difference-maker as Upstate rallied from two runs down late to win 6-4 and complete the doubleheader sweep.

Beasley finished game two going 3-for-4 offensively with four RBI. Obier added two hits and Gilstrap had one RBI. Brown and Smith tallied two hits for JU, and Smith and Daniels would drive in two runs each.

McKinnon (19-6) picked up her second victory of the day by tossing a complete game and surrendered four runs on eight hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. Taylor Rossman (3-7) suffered the loss after throwing 6.1 innings and giving up six runs on nine hits, no walks and one strikeout.

The Dolphins started the first inning by scoring twice for a 2-0 lead on Smith's single off the center field wall. The Spartans brought in two runs of their own in the bottom of the first started by Beasley's RBI single to center field. Beasley would come home when Szymanowski got caught in a rundown between first and second base.

Daniels gave Jacksonville a 4-2 lead in the top of the third after hitting a two-run homer off McKinnon to center field. Gilstrap trimmed Upstate's deficit down to 4-3 in the sixth inning on her solo homer off the scoreboard in left center field.

Kori Wancheck led off the bottom of the seventh with a pinch-hit single to center field and was replaced at first by Kendsey Chappelear. Case advanced her to second with a sacrifice bunt and Rector would be hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Beasley's heroics. Beasley took a 1-2 offering from Rossman over the center field fence just out of the reach of Allie McCourt, completing the Spartan comeback and giving them the 6-4 win.

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