Game 1 Box Score (.pdf)
Game 2 Box Score (.pdf)
Jacksonville, Fla. – The USC Upstate softball team earned the second seed in next week's A-Sun Championship after sweeping the North Florida Ospreys in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon from the UNF Softball Complex.
Upstate improves to 39-12 on the season and 11-5 in conference play, while North Florida falls to 19-29 overall and 5-12 in the league.
The Spartans took both games of the doubleheader by scores of 2-1 and 7-0.
The teams conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Game 1 – USC Upstate 2, North Florida 1
Upstate scored two unanswered runs, capped by Amy Szymanowski's seventh-inning RBI double, to win game one over North Florida 2-1.
Six different Spartans had one hit each in the opener, while Szymanowski and Ryan Rector each had one RBI. Shelby Duncan went 2-for-3 for the Ospreys and Minnie Cocuzza drove in one run.
Holly McKinnon (24-6) picked up her 18th complete game of the season after allowing one run on six hits, one walk and six strikeouts. Logan Green (8-15) took the loss pitching 6.2 innings and allowed two runs on six hits, three walks and one strikeout.
North Florida took a 1-0 lead over Upstate in the bottom of the second on Cocuzza's RBI triple. Jenna Brownell reached on a one-out walk to start the frame and would be pinch-run for by Casey Estes. Estes stole second the following at-bat and later scored on Cocuzza's triple to right field.
The Spartans evened the game at 1-1 during the third inning courtesy of Rector. Upstate started the frame with back-to-back singles from Kori Wancheck and Kendsey Chappelear, and loaded the bases two batters later on Megan Obier's single to left center field. Lindsay O'Steen, who pinch-ran for Wancheck, scored on Rector's RBI sacrifice fly to right field.
The Spartans used a two-out rally in the top of the seventh to go ahead 2-1. After the first two batters were retired on ground outs, Rector reached on a single down the left field line. Szymanowski took a 1-0 offering from Green over the UNF right fielder allowing Rector to score all the way from first, giving Upstate the one-run lead.
Game 2 – USC Upstate 7, North Florida 0
Lexi Shubert also compiled a complete game, her seventh of the year, as the Spartans earned the sweep by winning game two 7-0.
Obier and Karla Beasley both recorded three hits to lead Upstate offensively. Abbie Millete had a team-high two RBI. Cocuzza and Alex Arciola posted the only two hits for the Ospreys.
Shubert (7-4) limited North Florida to two hits and walked just one batter while striking out six. Janet Snipe (6-7) suffered the loss after surrendering three runs on five hits, one walk and no strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.
The Spartans got on the board first after plating three runs in the top of the third for a 3-0 advantage. Ansley Gilstrap got the scoring started on her RBI single with no outs, and Rector and Beasley both followed with RBI's of their own. Rector brought in the second run with her sacrifice bunt and Beasley singled to center field.
Upstate broke the game open by scoring a combined four runs in the sixth and seventh innings to extend its lead to 7-0. The Spartans added a run in the top-half of the sixth when Chappelear stole third base and came home after a throwing error by the Ospreys. In the seventh, Millete highlighted the inning with her two-RBI triple down the right field line. Tarynn Tirpak, who pinch-ran for Beasley after her single, was responsible for the first run after another UNF throwing error. Wancheck hit a 1-1 pitch back to Green on the mound and Green attempted to get Tirpak out at third on a fielder's choice. The throw was high and allowed Tirpak to score from third.
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