SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Spartans face another Big 10 opponent this weekend as they welcome Northwestern University to Cleveland S. Harley Park for a two-game series Saturday and Sunday after hosting Western Carolina University for a game on Friday. Northwestern and WCU will face off against each other at noon on Friday at Harley Park, and Upstate will take on the Catamounts after that at approximately 4:00 p.m. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday against the Wildcats and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Upstate (10-3) is coming off a 2-0 midweek slate with wins over The Citadel and Michigan State. Jeff Taylor's two-run single in the seventh inning powered the Spartans past the Bulldogs 5-3 on Tuesday before Upstate took the battle of the Spartans against Michigan State 7-4 on Wednesday at Fluor Field. Devin Buckner was 4-for-4 at the plate with a solo bomb and a sac fly in the game. Freshmen Sawyer Worrell and Reilly Kirkpatrick commanded the mound, combining to pitch into the ninth inning. Kirkpatrick picked up his first collegiate win before Kevin Davis fanned three straight in the bottom of the ninth to earn his second save of the year.
The Spartans rank second in the Big South with a .287 team batting average. Buckner is leading the team at the plate with a .380 batting average, .540 slugging percentage, .474 on base percentage, 19 hits, and 12 RBI. He also individually ranks in the Big South's top 10 in those categories and is currently riding a 10-game hit streak heading into the weekend.
Upstate's pitching staff holds a Big South second-best 3.23 ERA while Kevin Davis and Jordan Marks sit atop the Big South's individual rankings. Davis has thrown 13.1 innings of relief with 21 strikeouts and a .68 ERA. He has two saves on the year, and opponents are hitting just .149 against him. Marks is 3-0 with three quality starts this season. He's thrown a league-high 20.1 innings, striking out 25 along the way and boasts a .89 ERA.
WCU fell 2-0 to Appalachian State on Wednesday dropping to 7-5 on the year. Northwestern is 4-6 and coming off an 8-2 win over UIC on Tuesday.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Jordan Marks (3-0, 0.89 ERA) vs. RHP Chase Walter (0-2, 10.80 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Austin Morgan (0-0, 2.77 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Uberstine (1-0, 3.00 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs. LHP Quinn Lavelle (0-2, 11.57 ERA)
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UP Next for the Spartans
The Spartans host a midweek series with Jackson State at Harley Park on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday and 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
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