SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate swept Saturday's doubleheader against Presbyterian to complete not only the three-game weekend series sweep, but also the five-game season series sweep. The Spartans took the first game of the day 8-4 and battled for a 12-11 win in the series finale to improve to 30-9 (21-9 BSC) this season while PC dropped to 12-17 (11-12 BSC).
"It was a good day at the ballpark today. Getting a doubleheader sweep is hard to do, but we found a way to do it, and I think that's the mark of a good club. I thought we pitched really well in the first game today. We had good at-bats and did a lot of good things up and down the lineup. The second game was kind of a struggle for us on the mound. We're a pitching staff that doesn't usually give much free stuff, but our pitching staff bailed us out a lot earlier in the season when we weren't doing much offensively, and now I like how we're coming around offensively. I'm proud of our club and proud of the weekend we had," said head coach Mike McGuire.
Jack Hennessy led the Spartans at the plate across the two games as he hit 5-for-6 with three walks, three runs scored, and a pair of RBI. Julian Rip racked up six RBI on the day as he went 5-for-7 with a triple and a three-run homer in the second game. Cameron MacIntosh scored five runs and batted 4-for-7 with a double on the day. Noah Rabon extended his on-base streak to 30 games and his hit streak to eight games, while Hennessy and Devin Buckner each extended their hit streaks to seven games.
GAME ONE: Upstate 8, PC 4
Alex Garbrick got the nod on the hill and started off hot as he retired the side in order in the first two innings with a pair of strikeouts in each inning. He went six innings deep and finished the day with six strikeouts to pick up the win and improve to 6-2 this season.
Derek Sivec took over to start off the seventh and retired the first two batters faced, and then Jake Cubbler entered with two outs and a runner on second, but gave way for Austin Morgan to come on with bases loaded. Morgan got the strikeout to get the Spartans out of the jam and went on to close the game and pick up his third save of the season.
Upstate led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back walks before Buckner's fielder's choice grounder to third put runners on the corners with one out for four-hole hitter Jason Matthews, who ricocheted a shot off the PC pitcher to drive in Hennessy. With two outs, Buckner and Matthews took advantage of a wild pitch to score and advance to third. After that, Jeff Taylor burned the centerfielder for an RBI triple to put the Spartans up 3-0.
The Blue Hose would plate a single run in each inning between the fourth and seventh, but the Spartans never gave up the lead. In the bottom of the fourth, MacIntosh led off with a double to right center before he scored on Rip's triple off the wall in left center. In the very next at-bat, Hennessy drove in Rip on a sac fly to center for a 5-1 Spartan lead.
Upstate tallied three more runs off four hits in the bottom of the fifth for some insurance as, with bases loaded and two outs, Damon Maynard knocked in a pair with a single to the gap in right center followed by an RBI single to left from Rip.
PC's runs in the sixth and seventh innings each came with two outs, but the rally fell short as Upstate secured the win.
GAME TWO: Upstate 12, PC 11
The Spartans struggled on the mound and defensively in the second game of the day, but they were able to tough it out and battle offensively for the win.
Sawyer Worrell came on in relief in the top of the fifth with two outs and runners on first and second. He gave 2.1 innings with three strikeouts and gave up just one walk and one earned run to get credit for the win and improve to 4-0 this season.
Kevin Davis made his second appearance of the weekend when he took over in the ninth with the Spartans ahead 12-11 to close things out. He struck out the side to pick up his second save in as many days, and seventh save of the season, which leads the Big South Conference.
Upstate once again jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after a pair of runs in the first inning followed by another in the second. With bases loaded and no outs in the first, Matthews drove in Hennessy despite grounding into a double play. Then Gallagher plated his first of three runs in the game with a two-out RBI single down the left field line. Rip added a sac fly to right in the bottom of the second.
The Blue Hose took their first lead of the day after a solo run in the third and three runs in the fourth thanks to a Spartan error, but the lead would not last long as Upstate responded with six runs off six hits in the bottom of the fourth. The Spartans batted through the order in the inning starting with a leadoff single right back up the middle for Taylor. MacIntosh then laced one through the left side, and Rip went yard for a three-run homer to regain the lead for Upstate. Buckner made it 7-4 with a standup RBI double to deep right center before Gallagher plated his second and third runs of the night with a two-out, two-RBI single to left.
PC, however, had an answer in the fifth as they cut Upstate's lead down to run one with a leadoff homer followed by three free passes to load the bases with two outs and a bases-clearing double down the left field line.
The two sides continued to exchange blows as the Spartans got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the fifth, first off an RBI single to left from Hennessy followed by a sac fly to center from Rabon to make it 11-8.
After a scoreless sixth, PC once again came back within one run of the Spartans in the seventh with a pair of runs off a pair of Upstate errors. Rabon drove in a run in the bottom of the inning with his second sac fly of the night for a 12-10 lead. Another leadoff homer for PC cut the deficit to one run in the top of the eighth, but once again, the Blue Hose rally fell short thanks to another dominating closing performance from Davis.
UP Next for the Spartans
The Spartans travel to Clemson on Wednesday, May 5 to face the Tigers for the second time this season. The Spartans previously defeated the Tigers 12-2 back on March 9. First pitch for Wednesday's game is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the Spartans will be looking to improve to 7-0 in midweek games this season.
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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