Howard Box Score (.pdf)

Delaware State Box Score (.pdf)

Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate softball team improved its winning streak to ten straight games on Friday as it opened play at the Buffalo Wild Wings Classic with a pair of victories over the Howard Bison and Delaware State Hornets from Cyrill Stadium.

Upstate improves to 13-2 on the season, while Howard fell to 0-6 overall and Delaware State 0-2.

The Spartans began the day with a 14-0 victory over the Bison in five innings before defeating the Hornets in the finale 7-1.

GAME ONE – HOWARD 0, USC UPSTATE 14 (5)

Scoring Breakdown

• Bottom 1^st – Upstate broke the game open early in the first by scoring four runs and took a 4-0 lead over Howard. Karla Beasley started the scoring with her RBI infield single and Abbie Millete followed the next at-bat with an RBI single to left field. Megan Obier drove in the final two runs with her base hit to right center field.
• Bottom 2^nd – The Spartans extended their lead to 13-0 in their half of the second after plating nine more runs. Upstate hit two home runs in the inning from Beasley and Alicia Dorgan. Beasley had a three-run homer to left center field for her third of the season, tying for first on the team with Millete, while Dorgan hit the first of her career that scored Millete. Ansley Gilstrap added a two RBI double while Ryan Rector plated the first run of the inning with her RBI double. Gemma Miller also came home on a throwing error.
• Bottom 3^rd – Blakely Burch drove home Miller, who had doubled the previous at-bat, with her RBI double to left center field to give the Spartans a 14-0 advantage.

Notables

• Erin Hill (1-0), making her first career start at Upstate, tossed a complete game of five innings and allowed just two runners on base with an infield single and walk. She also struck out four batters.
• Monica Thompson (0-4) suffered the loss for the Bison after giving up five runs on five hits, no walks and two strikeouts in one inning of work.
• The 14 runs and 14 hits compiled by the Spartans are a season-high in both categories.
• Beasley finished the game 3-for-3 at the plate with four RBI and two runs scored. Burch also set a new career-high against Howard with three hits in three plate appearances.
• Three other Upstate players drove in two runs each in Gilstrap, Dorgan and Burch.
• Kamryn Tillman had the only hit for the Bison.

GAME TWO – DELAWARE STATE 1, USC UPSTATE 7

Scoring Breakdown

• Top 2^nd – Delaware State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top-half of the second on an RBI single from Mika Lumsden.
• Bottom 2^nd – The Spartans answered with three runs in their half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead. Upstate began the frame with three straight singles from Obier, Burch and Brittany Case. Kayla Hussey's first RBI of the season allowed Obier to score on a groundout. Burch later came home on another groundout by Gilstrap and Case scored the final run on a wild pitch.
• Bottom 4^th – The Spartans made it a 7-1 contest in the fourth following a four-run inning. Burch was responsible for two of the runs with her double to right center field and Hussey added her second RBI of the game with a single. Kendsey Chappelear drove home Hussey for the final run on an RBI triple to right center field.

• Holly McKinnon (6-1) recorded her fifth straight win after holding the Hornets to one run on three hits, one walk and six strikeouts in four innings of work.
• Lexi Shubert (2) earned her second save of the season after tossing three scoreless innings of relief and surrendered just one hit on one walk and six strikeouts.
• Hannah Shields (0-1) suffered the loss after pitching 2.2 innings and allowed seven runs (four earned) on seven hits, one walk and no strikeouts.
• Burch and Chappelear led Upstate offensively with two hits, while Burch and Hussey had two RBI apiece.
• Lumsden was one of four Delaware State players to post one hit and also drove in one run.

• The Spartans close out play at the Buffalo Wild Wings Classic on Saturday afternoon when they host Toledo at 1 p.m. and Western Carolina at 3 p.m.