Game 1 Box Score (.pdf)

Game 2 Box Score (.pdf)

Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate softball team hit a total of four home runs on Saturday, while the pitching staff surrendered just two hits and no runs, as it opened its first-ever Big South Conference series with a doubleheader sweep of the Presbyterian Blue Hose at Cyrill Stadium.

USC Upstate improves to 20-6 overall and 2-0 in the Big South while Presbyterian falls to 7-18-2 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.

The Spartans defeated the Blue Hose by scores of 11-0 in five innings during game one and 8-0 in six innings in game two.

GAME ONE – PRESBYTERIAN 0, USC UPSTATE 11 (5)

Scoring Breakdown

• Bottom 1^st – USC Upstate scored seven runs after sending 14 batters to the plate in the first. Alyssa Oakes began the scoring with her two-RBI single to left field and Alicia Dorgan followed with an RBI bases loaded walk. Kayla Hussey added a two-RBI single to left center field the next at-bat and Sarah Price also drew an RBI bases loaded walk. Brittany Case brought in the final run on her RBI walk with the bases loaded.
• Bottom 2^nd – The Spartans added to their lead at 9-0 scoring twice on Hussey's RBI sacrifice bunt and an RBI infield single by Kristen Wright.
• Bottom 3^rd – Oakes hit her eighth home run of the season, a solo blast, in the third to make the score 10-0.
• Bottom 4^th – Madison Lanoux increased the lead to 11-0 to start the bottom of the fourth hitting her first career home run at USC Upstate to center field.

Notables

• Christina Biggerstaff (12-1) picked up the win throwing a complete game shutout and surrendered just one hit, two walks and eight strikeouts.
• Alyssa Batastini (5-12) took the loss allowing seven runs (four earned) on five hits, one walk and one strikeout in one-third of an inning pitched.
• Lanoux had a career-high three hits and three runs scored in three plate appearances while registering one RBI.
• Hussey tied her career-high of three RBI.
• Oakes also recorded three RBI to tie Hussey for the team-lead.
• Price, Case, Dorgan and Wright all had one RBI.
• Kiley Kross collected the only hit for Presbyterian.

GAME TWO – PRESBYTERIAN 0, USC UPSTATE 8 (6)

Scoring Breakdown

• Bottom 1^st – The Spartans struck for four runs in the first to go ahead 4-0. Oakes brought in three of the runs on a three-run homer, her team-leading ninth of the season, over the scoreboard in left field. Dorgan added an RBI single to right field.
• Bottom 3^rd – USC Upstate added two more runs in the third to push its lead out to 6-0. Case contributed the first run of the inning hitting her third home run of the season on a solo blast to right center field to lead off the frame. Savannah Grigsby, pinch-running for Oakes, stole home as Riley Miller, who ran for Lanoux, was caught in a rundown between first and second.
• Bottom 4^th – Case made it a 7-0 game with one out on her RBI groundout to second base allowing Wright to score from third base.
• Bottom 6^th – Case compiled her third RBI of the game with no outs as her RBI single to left center field scored Price and gave the Spartans the 8-0 victory.

Notables

• Erin Hill (7-5) tied her career-high of seven strikeouts to earn the win pitching all six innings and gave up one hit and one walk.
• Taylor Ward (2-5) suffered the loss throwing five innings and allowed eight runs on 11 hits, three walks and no strikeouts.
• USC Upstate recorded double-digit hits for the fifth time this season after finishing with 11.
• Price equaled her career-high of three hits to lead the Spartans offensively.
• Case and Oakes both had a team-high three RBI.
• Case finished with two hits along with Dorgan and Makenna Helton.
• Dorgan also drove in one run.
• Ansley Wilbanks had one hit for the Blue Hose.

UP NEXT

• The Spartans close out their three-game series with Presbyterian on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.

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