THIS WEEKS MATCHUPS
vs. East Tennessee State (5-23)
Mar. 30 | 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 30 | 4:00 p.m.
*Note all games are subject to change due to inclement weather
Watch: All games are scheduled to be broadcasted through ESPN+. Links for each game are located below:
Game One:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=0007cf54-9f75-4d60-8003-d3e86439f05f
Game Two:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=0bc65f36-d9ac-4c63-8637-6dbb24765f15
Live Stats: Live stats will be available for all contests this week and can be accessed through upstatespartans.com.
Spartanburg S.C. - Upstate is returning to Cyrill Softball Stadium following its first three-game series sweep of the season as they downed the Radford Highlanders this past weekend.
The Spartans started the weekend taking an early lead in game one, scoring four runs before Radford could get on the board. Radford was able to near the Spartans score after a three-run homer, but an insurance home run from Tiffany Domingue in the top of the fifth inning made sure Upstate came out on top.
Game two was much like game one as Upstate scored five runs in the top of the second inning and topped it off with one more in the top of the fifth inning while allowing Radford no runs. Radford was able to avoid the shutout earning one run in the bottom of the sixth again off a home run.
Upstate carried the early lead trend into game three as they finished the first inning leading 4-1. In the third inning, the Spartans couldn't be shut down as they racked up an astounding eight runs in the inning. Innings four and five brought two more runs for Upstate along with two runs in the bottom of the fifth for Radford, but the curtains would close on the Highlanders with Upstate taking the game 14-3.
Hannah Houge pitched game one for Upstate, earning her 17th win of the season as she threw eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched. Houge finished the week ranked second in the country for wins, seventh for shutouts, and 11th in strikeouts. Alyssa Kelly pitched for games two and three improving her record to 10-1 as she recorded a combined 14 strikeouts in a total of 12.0 innings pitched. Peyton Darnell surpassed her previous career-high of 10 home runs as she hit her 11th this season in the form of a grand slam in game three. Darnell's performance earned her the Big South Player of the Week; Alanna Deal's performance helped her achieve her first career Big South honors as a Co-Freshman of the week.
Upstate is ranked third in winning percentage, seventh in ERA, eighth in shutouts, 12th in strikeouts per walks, and 13th in stolen bases and fielding percentage. Darnell is ranked individually for RBI (sixth) and home runs (14th). Sarah Price is ranked 14th in the nation for stolen bases (19). This is also the fourth week in a row that USC Upstate Softball has received votes for the USA Today/ Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.
East Tennessee State is coming off a 2-1 series loss against SoCon opponent Western Carolina. The Bucs lost game one 7-1 on Saturday and split the double-header on Sunday, winning game one 3-2 and losing game two 14-6. Eastern Tennessee State comes into the double-header 5-23 on the season.
Players to Watch:
USC Upstate (29-3, 7-2 Big South):
Peyton Darnell has started all 32 games for Upstate with her primary starting position being the designated player. Darnell leads Upstate with a .747 slugging percentage after recording 12 runs, 31 hits, 11 home runs, 41 RBI and 68 total bases.
East Tennessee State (5-23, 1-2 SoCon):
Kelly Warren has started 27 of the 28 Bucs games this season, recording 16 runs, 30 hits, 10 RBI, and 36 total bases along with 18 stolen bases. Warren is second on the team for batting average (.357) and has a .429 slugging percentage.
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