BUIES CREEK, N.C. – USC Upstate baseball struck early and often Friday night as the Spartans defeated Campbell 6-1 in the series opener to remain perfect at 11-0 on the year, and 4-0 in conference play. Upstate tallied eight hits and every batter in the lineup reached base in the game.
"It was a great ballgame tonight. Jordan Marks was outstanding and did exactly what you'd hope your Friday night guy would do. We took him out because of a pitch count, but I honestly thought he was getting better as the game went on. We got good contribution up and down the lineup again and started fast. The game is easier when you play out in front and just keep adding on, and we were able to do that tonight. Campbell is a good club, and we've got to come ready to play tomorrow," said head coach Mike McGuire.
Jason Matthews got things going immediately with a leadoff triple in the top of the first and made it home on Julian Rip's RBI single to center for a 1-0 Spartan lead. Cameron MacIntosh kept it going in the top of the second with a solo leadoff shot over the left field wall for his first home run in a Spartan uniform.
Upstate added another run in the top of the fifth as Jack Hennessy ripped a standup double down the left field line, made it to third on Matthews' second hit of the night, and crossed the plate on Devin Buckner's sac fly to right.
The Spartans found the bases loaded in the top of the fifth after a pair of walks and a hit by pitch, and Matthews took full advantage of that with an RBI single to right. Rip then drove in his second run of the night with a sac fly to center to push Upstate's lead to 5-0.
The Camels would eventually get on the board in the bottom of the eighth, but MacIntosh answered that with his second RBI of the game on an infield single for a security run that put the Spartans up 6-1 in the top of the ninth.
MacIntosh ended his night 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI, two runs scored, and a walk. He also had a sliding grab in the bottom of the fifth to get the out at first and help prevent any damage from the Camels.
Matthews had a pair of hits with an RBI and a run scored on the night along with a heads up play in the bottom of the third when he pushed a Camel baserunner back to first in a rundown before perfectly gunning down the Campbell runner heading home.
Along with his two RBI on the night, Rip had a pair of key defensive plays in right to rob Campbell of potential runs.
Jordan Marks got the start once again on the mound and pitched a seven-inning gem to record his third win of the year. He allowed just three hits and his first walk of the year in his day of work, and tied a career-high 10 punch outs on the night. Freshman Trey Miller inherited a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and closed the game out to pick up the save.
UP Next for the Spartans
Upstate continues the series against Campbell tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
Spartans Win Today, You Save Tomorrow!
Save 50% off online orders at Papa John's locations across the Upstate. Use the code USCUP50 when placing online orders the day after Upstate victories. Also tomorrow, visit The Beacon Drive-In located in Spartanburg and show the win graphic posted to the @UpstateSpartans Instagram account to claim a free sweet tea as part of the "Sweet Taste of Victory" promotion. No purchase necessary.
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