FARMVILLE, VA. – USC Upstate softball took game one in the series against the Longwood Lancers after an impressive 8-2 win on Friday night in Farmville. Tiffany Domingue led the charge for the Spartans with homeruns in the first and sixth innings for a combined two runs, two hits, and five RBI.  

In its second Big South series on the road the Spartans were able to score early with two runs in the top of the first. Those two runs were from Denver Lauer who came home from second off a homerun over left field from Tiffany Domingue. Both the Spartans and the Lancer went scoreless through the second and third innings and it was Upstate that would break the scoring drought as pinch runner Taliyah Thomas stole home off a Longwood error. After three straight unanswered runs, the Lancers posted two runs in the bottom of the fifth to bring the game within one run. Lauer was 0-2 on the day just before she was able to rip a single to right field that would allow Alanna Deal to come home and give the Spartans a two-run lead. Domingue would add three more to the Spartans' total as she sailed another homer over left field to make her 2-3 on the day. With a 2-2 count, Casey Goguts followed Domingue's at bat in an identical fashion with a homerun once again over left field to make the game 8-2.  

Alyssa Kelly started her 19th game of the season and finished the day with her 17th win in her 15th complete game. Kelly threw five strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Domingue led the Spartans' stat lines while Lauer finished the day with one hit, two runs, one RBI, and two stolen bases. Thomas also had a decent showing, with one run and two stolen bases, as did Deal with one run, two hits, and one stolen base.  

Game One             
Score: USC Upstate 8; Longwood 2 

Records: USC Upstate (27-7; 4-3 Big South) vs. Longwood (15-11; 2-1 Big South)  

Location: Lancer Field | Farmville, Va.   

How it Happened:  

T1: Tiffany Domingue hit a homerun over left field (2 RBI) to bring Denver Lauer home and give Upstate the 2-0 lead.  

T4: Pinch running for Summer Johnson, Taliyah Thomas started at first, stole second, stole third and advanced all the way home off an error by Longwood's catcher.  

B5: Pone hit a double to advance Vinson and send Coleman home for the Lancer's first run of the day. 

B5: Fox hit a single to advance Pone to third and bring home Vinson to make it a one-run game. 

T6: Lauer sent a single to right field allowing Alanna Deal to come home.  

T6: Domingue hit another homerun (3 RBI) over left field to extend Upstate's lead 7-2 with runs coming in from Lauer and Price. 

T6: Goguts hit a solo homerun over left field to cap the Spartans scoring at eight runs. 

                
Notable                

• Her two homeruns today put Domingue at nine homeruns on the season. 

• Domingue has now surpassed her homerun count from last season (8). 

• Today was Domingue's first multi-homerun game since 2021 (vs. Furman 4/17/21). 

• Domingue hit a career-high five RBI. 

• Her homerun in game one was Casey Goguts seventh homerun of the season.  
• Denver Lauer is now 25-26 for stolen bases this year while Taliyah Thomas is 15-18.

• Upstate gave Longwood its first Big South loss of the season.  

Up Next for the Spartans 

The Spartans conclude the series against Longwood on Saturday with a double-header set to start at 1:00 p.m. before returning home to host North Carolina A&T on Tuesday afternoon. 

      
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