Box Score (.pdf)

Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate softball team improved its winning streak to 11 consecutive games, and nine in conference play, on Thursday evening as it defeated the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs 6-1 to complete a three-game series sweep at Cyrill Stadium.

USC Upstate improves to 34-10 overall and 14-4 in the Big South while Gardner-Webb falls to 24-21 on the season and 3-12 in conference play.

Scoring Breakdown

• Top 1^st – Autumn Owen gave the Runnin' Bulldogs a 1-0 lead with two outs on her solo home run to left center field.
• Bottom 1^st – The Spartans responded by tying the game at 1-1 when Alyssa Oakes scored from third on a wild pitch. Oakes reached on a one-out walk and advanced to third on a fielder's choice and walk to Megan Obier.
• Bottom 2^nd – USC Upstate added two more runs in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Sarah Price drove in Erin Hill with her RBI sacrifice fly to right field for the first run of the inning. Makenna Helton later singled to right center field and brought home Kristen Wright.
• Bottom 4^th – Oakes increased the Spartans lead to 5-1 with one-out on her team-leading 19^th home run of the season, a two-run blast, to left field. Helton reached in the previous at-bat with a single to right field.
• Bottom 5^th – Kayla Hussey made it a 6-1 game with one out on her RBI sacrifice fly to center field. Obier scored on the sacrifice fly after leading off the inning with a single and moved to third on an error and fielder's choice.

Notables

• Christina Biggerstaff (21-3) picked up the win tossing her 19^th complete game of the season giving up one run on three hits, no walks and six strikeouts.
• Laken Myers (5-6) suffered the loss allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits, three walks and four strikeouts.
• Oakes finished the game 1-for-2 with a game-high two RBI and two runs scored.
• Oakes moved into a tie with Vanessa Flores (2007) for third-most home runs in a season and passed Shellie Robinson (2015) into fourth place for most RBI in season with 63.
• Oakes is two RBI away from passing Jessica Addison (2002) for third place.
• Helton and Obier recorded a game-high two hits apiece.
• Helton, Price and Hussey each had one RBI.
• Owen led Gardner-Webb offensively going 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.

UP NEXT

• USC Upstate plays its final three home games of the season this weekend, April 13-14, hosting Radford in a three-game conference series.

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