SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate baseball was resilient Friday night in a 7-6 win against Radford at Harley Park in the Big South opener for both teams. After holding an early 3-0 lead, the Spartans responded to a four-run sixth inning from the Highlanders and were able to counter all six of Radford's runs in the game to pull out the series-opening win and remain undefeated at 7-0 (1-0 BSC) on the year.

"So many good things happened tonight offensively and defensively. I thought it was one of those ballgames where everyone who got in the ballgame made major contributions. Credit to Radford, I thought they really competed at the plate and found some holes. I really liked how we responded offensively each time. I really liked what I saw from the lineup. Up and down, a lot of guys contributed," said head coach Mike McGuire.

Jeff Taylor made two outstanding catches in left field on the night as he robbed a potential Radford homer in the top of the fifth and made a diving catch to keep more runs off the board in the top of the seventh. He also knocked in the game-winning run on a perfectly executed squeeze play in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Jack Hennessy had two RBI doubles on the day, the first one down the right field line in the second inning followed by another one down the left field line in the fifth.

Noah Rabon went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, a triple, and three RBI. Cameron MacIntosh also batted 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.

Jordan Marks got the start on the mound and tossed into the seventh inning with five strikeouts and no walks allowed. Austin Morgan took over in the seventh with one out, and threw the final 2.2 innings with two strikeouts and didn't give up any runs, earning him his first career win.

Scoring Summary
B1 | Jason Matthews took a hack at the first pitch for a leadoff single to right, and Rabon knocked him in with a double to the gap in right center.

B2 | With two outs, MacIntosh singled to the second baseman before Rip singled to the gap in right center to advance MacIntosh to third. Hennessy then sent MacIntosh home with a double down the right field line.

B5 | MacIntosh ripped a leadoff single up the middle and advanced to second on a sac bunt from Julian Rip, which set Hennessy up for another RBI double, this time down the left field line.

T6 | Radford fired off four straight singles to get two runs across before tying things up at 3-3 with a sac fly to left and taking the 4-3 lead with yet another RBI single.

B6 | Upstate answered in the bottom of the inning as Devin Buckner drew a walk and Rabon blasted a standup triple to right center to drive in Buckner. Jack Gallagher then picked up an RBI as he sent Rabon home on groundout to second to put the Spartans up 5-4.

T7 | After a Radford single and double, the Highlanders were able to get a run home on a wild pitch. They would take a 6-5 lead on another sac fly to left, but Taylor's diving catch kept the Radford runner at first.

B7 | Taylor doubled down the left field line to lead off the bottom of the seventh and advanced to third on Buckner's single to left. Rabon then knocked Taylor in with a single up the middle to even things up at 6-6.

B8 | Hennessy drew a walk and made it to second on a wild pitch before advancing to third on Matthews' single to left. This set Taylor up for the game-winning safety squeeze that scored Hennessy.

UP Next for the Spartans
Upstate will look to keep things rolling with a doubleheader tomorrow to close out the series with Radford. Game one of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. and game two of the doubleheader will begin at approximately 4:30 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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