SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Locked in a close, one-run game through seven-and-a-half innings, USC Upstate baseball found the right opportunity to take advantage of the Western Carolina bullpen and capitalize for seven runs in their final two trips to the plate in a 9-3 midweek victory Wednesday night.
Stepping to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, redshirt sophomore leftfielder
Noah Rabon delivered his second RBI of the game with a single up the middle to tie the game heading into the late innings. His single capped a 2-4 day at the plate, delivering the two RBI, including driving home a run with a double in the fifth.
Blowing the game open in the eighth, the reigning Big South Player of the Week, senior first baseman
Devin Buckner laced a ball into the leftfield corner to clear the bases and knock in three runs. He finished the night 1-for-3, reaching base three times, collecting three RBI to increase his season total to eight through four games.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander
Trey Miller scattered six hits and three runs before giving way to the bullpen trio of redshirt junior southpaw
Derek Sivec and freshman righty
Noah Sullivan. Out of the pen, Sivec and Sullivan combined to surrender just one hit while striking out four batters.
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 9; Western Carolina 3
Records: USC Upstate (3-1; 0-0 Big South); Western Carolina (4-1; 0-0 SoCon)
Location: Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.
Scoring Summary
- T3: With runners on the corners and one out in the frame, Western Carolina's Will Prater opened the games scoring as he brought home teammate Zach Ketterman from third on a groundout to first.
- B3: The Spartans got the run back in the bottom half of the inning as Noah Rabon came in to score off an error by the Catamount second baseman during a fielder's choice.
- B5: Upstate took the lead for the first time in the game as Rabon doubled over the head of the leftfielder to plate Devin Buckner from first.
- T6: The Catamounts' Nate Stocum tied the game in the sixth as he tripled to right-center to plate one run. He later scored to give Western Carolina the lead as he came home on a throw attempting to catch a base stealer.
- B7: Tacking on his second RBI of the game, Rabon knotted the ballgame at three with a single back through the middle, plating Noah Sullivan.
- B8: Upstate blew things open in the eighth as Noah Myers singled into center with the bases loaded to plate the go-ahead run before Buckner cleared the bases with a double into the leftfield corner. The Spartans added two more runs in the frame as Buckner and Sullivan scored on wild pitches.
Notable
- Coming on in relief of starter Trey Miller, Derek Sivec and Noah Sullivan kept Western Carolina off-balance through 3.2 combined innings of work. The duo surrendered just one hit while striking out two batters each.
- Taking the mound over the final 1.2 innings, Sullivan collected his first victory as a Spartan as he faced five batters without allowing a baserunner.
- Driving home two runs Wednesday, Noah Rabon collected his third multi-RBI game of the season as he's driven home two or more runs in three consecutive games. He's tied with Sullivan for the team lead in multi-RBI games while his three-game streak also ties Sullivan's streak during the Ohio series.
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