SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate softball team is headed to Rock Hill, S.C., this weekend to take on the Winthrop Eagles in Big South Conference action.
 
USC Upstate (19-11, 8-1 Big South) and Winthrop (20-21, 7-7 Big South) are meeting for the 11^th time since the 2010 softball season. The Spartans hold a 6-4 advantage in the overall series lead, but Winthrop has won three out of the last four matchups between the two squads.
 
The last time these two programs met, Winthrop eliminated the Spartans from the Big South Tournament by a final score of 2-1. Sarah Price (Landrum, S.C.) and Brittany Case both recorded multi-hit performances but it was not enough for the Spartans. The last time and only time the Spartans have visited Rock Hill they went 1-2 against the Eagles.   
 
USC Upstate is coming off a 4-1 loss to No. 20 Georgia on Wednesday night in Athens. The Spartans allowed four runs in the opening inning, but then the Spartan pitching staff shutdown the Bulldog offense and allowed just one hit over the next five innings of action.
 
The Spartans are 3-5 in the month of April but 2-1 in Big South competition with wins over Radford last weekend inside Cyrill Softball Stadium. USC Upstate is 1-6 in their last seven road games against non-conference competition, but the Spartans are 3-0 against Big South opponents on the road this season.
 
Earlier this week, Tiffany Domingue (York, S.C.) earned Big South Freshman of the Week for her performance on the field last week. Domingue started all seven games this week at second base for the Spartans and batted .304 in the process. The freshman recorded seven total hits, a double and three homeruns this week, including a multi homerun performance against Furman last Wednesday. The freshman also led the team with eight RBI's on the week, she finished second on the team in runs scored (4), total bases (17) and slugging percentage (.739). Defensively, she recorded 18 putouts and 18 assists in the field.
 
Sarah Price, Bre Cooper (Massillon, Ohio), Peyton Darnell (Fort Mill, S.C.) and Savannah Grigsby (Elgin, S.C.) are also key offensive contributors for the Spartans this weekend. Grigsby is currently batting .400 in Big South competition, while Darnell is tied for the team lead in homeruns with six on the season.
 
Cooper and Price provide a one-two punch at the top of the lineup for the Spartans. Price leads the team 10-multi hit games this season, while Cooper is tied for second on the team with nine multi-hit performances. Cooper is coming off a two-hit performance against Georgia on Wednesday evening.
 
Winthrop is coming off a pair of losses to No. 17 Clemson on Tuesday evening. Prior to the Clemson matchup the Eagles swept Presbyterian College in a weekend series at home. The Eagles are 8-6 in home games this season.
 
Winthrop has three players batting over .300 this season, Macy McCall (.362), Ansley Gilreath (.350) and Taylor Charlton (.313). Gilreath and McCall are tied for the team lead in hits with 42 each, while McCall leads the team in runs scored (37) and Gilreath leads in homeruns (12) and RBI's (37). McCall is one of the top base stealers in the conference having swiped 34 bags this season on 38 attempts.
 
Madyson Watson and Aisha Weixlmann are the top options in the circle for Winthrop this season. Watson is 11-9 in 21 starts, with a 3.29 era, 15 complete games, 129.2 innings pitched and 157 strikeouts on the season. Weixlmann is 7-7 in 16 starts, with a 3.60 era, 6 complete games, 95.1 innings pitched and 75 strikeouts this season.
 
Livestats and the postgame recap following the days action can be found on upstatespartans.com.
 
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