RADFORD, Va. – After dropping the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Radford 5-2, the Spartans bounced back to take the rubber match 5-4 in extra innings for the series win. Upstate improves to 18-6 (11-6 BSC) on the season win the series finale win.
"I'm proud of our guys and how they bounced back in the second game today. I challenged them by talking about the chance to win a road series because they're hard to come by, so I thought it was a gut-check ballgame in a lot of ways. We fell behind early in the second game, but I liked the way we answered back. I also liked the way we handled things in extra innings. It was a good road series win," said head coach Mike McGuire.
Adam Grob batted .600 on the day with three hits, a double, a homerun, and two runs scored. Noah Rabon and Jack Hennessy each tallied three hits as well, and Rabon added three RBI.
GAME ONE: Upstate 2, Radford 5
Alex Garbrick started on the hill and threw 4.2 innings with four strikeouts. He was responsible for three runs and was credited with the loss to fall to a 4-2 record on the year. Sawyer Worrell, Will Lancaster, and Kyle Schmitt each made an appearance in the game as well.
Radford got out to an early lead with a two-out solo homer to right in the bottom of the second, but Garbrick responded by striking out the next batter to get out of the inning. The Highlanders extended their lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth with a bases-clearing double down the left field line followed by an RBI single to left.
Jack Gallagher led off the top of the eighth inning with a pinch-hit single through the left side and eventually made it home on an RBI single from Rabon to get the Spartans on the board.
Upstate would scratch another run across in the top of the ninth when Grob blasted a leadoff shot over the wall in right field for his second homerun of the year to make it 5-2.
GAME TWO: Upstate 5, Radford 4 (10 Innings)
Freshman Trey Miller got the start on the mound and went 3.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts before Nate Payne entered for a 2.2-inning relief performance that saw three strikeouts, zero walks, and just one run given up. Austin Morgan and Derek Sivec each made an appearance before Kevin Davis took over to close things down.
Davis shut Radford down in the final 2.1 innings of the game to get credit for the win. He struck out four batters while giving up just one walk, no hits, and no runs.
The Highlanders once again jumped out to an early lead in game two with a pair of runs in the first, but the Spartans came alive in the middle innings as Rabon got things going with a two-RBI single up the middle to tie things up in the fourth. Radford responded with a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning, but Grob led the fifth off with a double down the right field line to set Damon Maynard up for an RBI single that evened things right back up at 3-all.
Rabon struck again in the sixth when he reached on a fielder's choice and later made it home off a failed pickoff attempt by Radford trying to get Gallagher out at first to put the Spartans on top 4-3. The Highlanders once again had an answer as they plated a run on an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. The game would stay tied through the next three innings to send things into extras.
Maynard was placed on second to start the top of the 10th due to the international tie-breaker rule, and good situational at-bats would send him home as Rip got him to third on a sac bunt before a sac fly to right from Hennessy pushed him across.
Radford could not answer in the bottom of the 10th as Upstate completed the victory.
UP Next for the Spartans
The Spartans travel to Atlanta on Tuesday, April 6 for a midweek matchup against Georgia Tech. First pitch is scheduled for 6 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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