USC Upstate (41-5, 15-3 Big South) vs. Gardner-Webb (13-22, 5-13 Big South)            

April 22 | 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

April 23 | 2:00 p.m.  (Live Stats)   

April 23 | 4:00 p.m.  (Live Stats)                        
             

*Note all games are subject to change due to inclement weather              
         
Live Stats: Live stats will be available for all contests this week and can be accessed through upstatespartans.com.        

Watch: The game on Friday will be available to stream through ESPN+.   

 
Spartanburg S.C. - The Spartans return to Big South play to take on Gardner-Webb in a three-game series in Boiling Springs, N.C. following their valiant mid-week performance against #13 Georgia.      

Upstate proved that it's a force to be reckoned with by national competitors after stacking up against the #13 ranked University of Georgia Athens for seven innings and forcing the Bulldogs to play in extra innings for the third time this year. Summer Johnson was able to get Upstate on the board with a single to send Sarah Price home. Peyton Darnell sailed her 13th home run of the season over the fence while Tiffany Domingue hit her eighth. Hannah Houge pitched for 7.2 innings and had six strikeouts against the team ranked eighth in the nation for batting average.  

Going into this match-up, Houge still holds national rankings, sitting in a second-place ranking for victories (24) and for shutouts (13), along with still being one of only two pitchers in the nation to achieve double-digit shutouts for the season. Houge is also ranked ninth for strikeouts (212), tenth for innings pitched (153.2), 15th for ERA (1.28), 25th for hits/ 7.0 innings pitched (4.24), 34th for strikeouts/ 7.0 innings pitched (9.7), and 56th for strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.93).       

Alyssa Kelly joins Houge in the national rankings as she is ranked 11th in walks/7.0 innings pitched (0.81), 13th for strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.64), 15th for shutouts (6), and 18th in ERA (1.33). Peyton Darnell is ranked fifth for RBI (51), 20th for RBI/game (1.13), 44th for home runs (12), and 70th for total bases (84). Sarah Price is ranked ninth for stolen bases (30), 15th for stolen bases/game (0.67), and 43rd for the toughest to strikeout (19.7).  Summer Johnson also holds a national ranking, coming in at 20th for the toughest to strikeout (24.2), while Marisa Soterakis sits at seventh for sacrifice bunts per game (.31).     
 
Upstate is ranked second in winning percentage (.911), third in ERA (1.51), third in shutouts (20), sixth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.14), seventh in stolen bases per game (2.33), eighth in fielding percentage (.979), 10th in doubles (69), and 18th in batting average (.321). This is also the seventh week in a row that USC Upstate Softball has received votes for the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll (15 votes) and for the ESPN Collegiate Top 25 Poll. Along with receiving votes, Upstate sits with a 60 RPI after the game against #13 Georgia, with the closest Big South team being Longwood with a 78 RPI.    

Gardner-Webb is on a seven-game losing streak after being swept in its three-game series against Winthrop last weekend. The Runnin' Bulldogs fell 10-0 in five innings in game one only to take a hard 4-3 loss in nine innings in game two. Gardner-Webb concluded the series with a 7-0 loss on Saturday afternoon.  

Upstate leads the Big South with a 15-3 conference record and 41-5 overall record; Gardner-Webb sits eighth with a 5-13 conference record and 13-22 overall record. The two teams have squared off against four of the same Big South competitors so far this season, here is how they stacked up: 

Upstate: Vs. Winthrop (W, 4-0/ W, 6-0/ W, 9-0) 

Vs. Radford (W, 5-3/ W, 6-1/ W, 14-3) 

Vs. Charleston Southern (L, 16-0/ W, 10-2/ W, 9-0) 

Vs. N.C. A&T (W, 9-0/ W, 5-0/ W, 11-0) 

Gardner-Webb: Vs. Winthrop (L, 10-1/ L, 4-3/ L, 7-0) 

Vs. Radford (L, 6-1/ W, 6-3/ L, 5-0) 

Vs. Charleston Southern (W, 2-0/ L, 5-4/ L, 3-1) 

Vs. N.C. A&T (L, 8-1/ W, 9-0/ L, 3-2) 

Players to Watch:               

USC Upstate (41-5, 15-3 Big South):               

Tiffany Domingue has been on a hot streak hitting three home runs in the last three games. Domingue leads the Spartans with 38 runs while stating 47 hits, eight home runs, 36 RBI, and 82 total bases. She is second on the team with a .370 batting average and a .646 slugging percentage.  

Gardner-Webb (13-22, 5-13 Big South)            

Andrea Lyon has been an essential part of the Runnin' Bulldogs offense as she has started all 35 games either on the mound, in the infield, or as the designated player. Lyon has recorded 12 runs, 37 hits, five home runs, 22 RBI, and 62 total bases with a .333 batting average and a .559 slugging percentage.   

JOIN UP:              
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes! Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!              
     
Sparty's Ball and Auction:     
Reserve your tickets for Sparty's Ball and Auction featuring The Andrews Brothers Dueling Pianos, Saturday, May 21, 2022 at upstatespartans.com/spartysball.            
             
Keep UP with the Spartans              
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics              
Twitter | @UpstateSoftball @UpstateSpartans              
Instagram | @UpstateSoftball @UpstateSpartans              
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans