BUIES CREEK, N.C. – USC Upstate baseball suffered defeat for the first time this season at the hands of the Big South preseason favorite Campbell University on Saturday at Jim Perry Stadium. The Spartans dropped both games of the twin bill to fall to 11-2 (4-2 BSC) on the year. Campbell improves to 9-5 (4-2 BSC) with the two wins.

A three-run moon shot for Julian Rip put the Spartans ahead 3-0 in the fourth inning of game one, but the Camels would erase that deficit before walking off with the 4-3 win on a passed ball in the bottom of the ninth.

Upstate once again got out to an early lead in game two, but gave up four unanswered runs and left 15 runners stranded to drop the series finale 4-2.

"I thought these were two good clubs going head-to-head, and both played a very competitive and tight series. When you are on the road and have a lead and a chance to separate, you have to take advantage of your opportunities. We were up 3-0 and 2-0 early in both games today, and we didn't separate when we had the opportunity," said head coach Mike McGuire. "I also thought we got two good starts today out of Alex Garbrick and Ben Ferrer."

Game One

Jack Gallagher went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored in game one. He got things going for Upstate in the top of the fourth on a single up the middle, followed by another single from Cameron MacIntosh who smoked one past the third baseman to get two runners on for Julian Rip. Rip then blasted a three-run shot over the left field wall for his first home run of the year to put the Spartans up 3-0. However, that would unfortunately be all the Spartans would push across in the game.

The Camels answered with an RBI ground out in the bottom of the fourth frame and completely erased their deficit later in the sixth with a sac fly and an RBI single to left.

The game would stay knotted at 3-3 until the bottom of the ninth when Sean Hupp hit Campbell's Waldy Arias with a pitch and let him get to second on a bad pickoff attempt. Arias then made it to third on a ground out before crossing the plate on a passed ball to end the game in walk off fashion for Campbell.

Upstate left eight runners on base in game one.

Starting pitcher Alex Garbrick was solid in his 5.2 innings of work with four strikeouts and just one walk. Hupp got the decision to drop to 1-1 on the year.

­­­­Game Two

Noah Rabon seemed to set the tone early when he robbed a Campbell homerun in the bottom of the first to keep two Camel runs off the board. Adam Grob then went yard for the first time in a Spartan uniform with a two-out solo shot over the wall in left field to put the Spartans up 1-0.

Devin Buckner recorded his first hit of the weekend in the top of the fourth to double Upstate's lead with a shot up the middle that drove in Hennessy.

Both Spartan runs in the game came with two outs.

The Camels pushed a run across in innings four through seven, including solo homers in the fifth and sixth, and the Spartans were never able to answer as seven of their 15 runners left on base in the game were stranded in the fifth inning or later.

Ferrer gave Upstate a solid start on the mound, tossing 6.1 innings with seven punch outs. Matthews also had a solid performance in the game, batting 4-for-5.

UP Next for the Spartans
Upstate hosts UNC Asheville in a Big South midweek matchup on Tuesday, March 16. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. from Harley Park.

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