SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Jeff Taylor went 3-for-4 with a homerun, a triple, and five RBIs Tuesday evening to power USC Upstate past Furman University 13-2 at Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park. Taylor also made an incredible catch from left field in the top of the seventh inning to help the Spartans retire 15 Furman batters in a row. After a 38-minute rain delay in the bottom of the second inning, the game was called after the eighth inning due to fog.

Cameron MacIntosh paced all hitters in the game, batting 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Mason Stewart had three hits and a pair of RBIs as well.

The Spartans held the Paladins to five hits in the game and scoreless until the eighth, but Furman spoiled Upstate's shutout with a pair of RBI singles in the top of the inning, both runs unearned.

Starting pitcher Kyle Schmitt got the win on the mound as he went four innings with three strikeouts, two hits, and no walks. Kevin Davis entered to strikeout the side in the fifth inning. He would collect two more strikeouts over his three innings of work with no hits and no walks. Preston Farmer made his debut in a Spartans uniform to close the game.

SCORING BREAKDOWN
B1: The Spartans broke in Furman's freshman starting pitcher with a five-run first inning, beginning with Taylor's two-run shot over the wall in right center after Jason Matthews' leadoff single through the middle. Upstate then loaded the bases as Devin Buckner walked, MacIntosh singled through the 5-6 hole, and Julian Rip reached on a successful bunt to third. All runners advanced on a wild pitch before Stewart ripped a two-run line drive to center to give the Spartans a 5-0 lead, all with no outs to force an early pitching change for Furman.

B4: Jack Hennessy led off the bottom of the fourth with a bunt before Taylor launched a standup RBI triple to the right field wall. MacIntosh then singled right over the pitcher's mound to drive in Taylor for a 7-0 lead.

B5: Upstate batted through the lineup and put up another five-run inning in the fifth as Rip started off getting hit by a pitch. Stewart then singled to short, and the short stop short hopped the throw to first to give Rip an extra base before Ben Olson knocked him in with a single to right. Coming off a pitching change for Furman, Davis Wilber placed a sac bunt to get both base runners in scoring position. After that, an error by Furman's first baseman cost the Paladins a run and allowed Hennessy to land safely on first. Taylor then cleared the bases with a single up the middle before getting pushed home by MacIntosh for a 12-0 lead.

B7: The Spartans added one more run in the seventh with back-to-back singles to center to drive in Matthews.

UP next for the Spartans
USC Upstate will face Monmouth, Manhattan, and Brown this coming weekend as part of the Annual USC Upstate/Wofford Invitational.

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