SPARTANBURG, S.C. - USC Upstate softball finished the regular season on a high note as the Spartans completed their series sweep against the Blue Hose with an 8-0 walk-off finish on Saturday afternoon. Alyssa Kelly earned her second win of the weekend in the form of her first career no-hitter while Denver Lauer had another exceptional game as she went 2-2 with two runs, two walks, two stolen bases, one putout and a .340 batting average along with her sixth homerun of the season.
Upstate got on the board early and continued through the game with a steady stream of scoring. Lauer was walked to first base which gave her the opportunity to steal both second and third base. She was sent home shortly after by Peyton Darnell who hit a single to left field. Celeste Delorenzo started the second inning with a double down the right field line and advanced to third off of Bella Bertot's single. Delorenzo scored soon after thanks to a single hit up the middle by Mady Lanoux. The scoring continued as senior Tiffany Domingue slammed a homerun over the left field wall to make the game 3-0 after three complete innings. Lauer followed Domingue's homerun with a two-RBI homerun in the fourth inning to extend the Spartans lead to five runs. In the fifth inning Cassie Norris was able to send pinch runners, Morgan Langley and Alanna Deal, home with a single up the middle. It was Domingue who sealed the six-inning shutout win for Upstate as a wild pitch from Presbyterian gave her enough time to score the final run.
Both Norris and Lauer sported multi-RBI games while Domingue and Lauer had multi-run games and six other Spartans scored runs. Alyssa Kelly made her 29th start of the season and threw six strikeouts in her 21st complete game to earn not only her 19th win, but also her eighth shutout of the season and her first career no-hitter.
Game Three
Score: USC Upstate 8; Presbyterian 0
Record: USC Upstate (37-15, 13-8 Big South) vs. Presbyterian (25-22, 6-14 Big South)
Location: Cyrill Softball Stadium | Spartanburg, S.C.
How it Happened:
B1: Denver Lauer scored the first run of the game, advancing home from third off Peyton Darnell's single. B2: Celeste Delorenzo advanced home from third via a single up the middle from Mady Lanoux.
B3: After a Presbyterian pitching change, Domingue hit a lead-off solo homerun over the left field wall (3-0).
B4: Caroline Jacquay was walked to first and brought home quickly after as Lauer hit a homerun over the left field wall with a 3-2 count (5-0).
B5: Cassie Norris sent a two-RBI single up the middle to score pinch runners Morgan Langley and Alanna Deal (7-0).
B6: Domingue finished the game with a run scored off a Presbyterian wild pitch (8-0).
Notable
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Alyssa Kelly has surpassed her career high for wins in a single season (19) with her previous high being 17 wins, set back in the 2022 season.
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Kelly is now on a three-game win streak while Maddie Drerup is on a four-game win streak.
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Lauer now has 42 stolen bases on the season.
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The last time Upstate had a shutout series sweep was in the 2022 series when Upstate swept Big South opponent N.C. A&T (9-0, 5-0, 11-0).
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This was Upstate's third Big South series sweep and its fourth Big South series win.
Following the game, Upstate took the time to acknowledge its graduating seniors.
Mady Lanoux is a five-year Spartan, who leaves Upstate after obtaining her Bachelor's in criminal justice along with a minor in psychology, and one year completed towards her Master's in business analytics & informatics. She plans to move back to Florida to finish her Master's and then will pursue a career in criminal justice. Sarah Price is a five-year Spartan, who leaves Upstate after obtaining her Bachelor's in secondary education with a concentration in math and her master's in business analytics. She plans to finish preparing for her wedding in October, where she will become Mrs. Hawkins as well as find a job in data analytics. Peyton Darnell is a four-year Spartan, graduating with her Bachelor's in Psychology. She plans to attend graduate school to get her masters in social work. Bella Bertot is a four-year Spartan, graduating with her Bachelor's in Exercise and Sport Science, pre physical therapy. She plans to move back to South Florida to attend Physical Therapy School where she hopes to one day own her own practice to be able to help athletes become the best version of themselves on and off of the field. Summer Johnson is a two-year Spartan, graduating with her Bachelor's in biology. She plans to attend graduate school in pursuit of a Master's in biological science. Casey Goguts is a two-year Spartan, graduating with her Bachelor's in exercise and sport medicine. She plans to attend Florida International University to obtain her Master's in athletic training. Tiffany Domingue is a four-year Spartan, graduating with her Bachelor's in business management. She plans to get her master's in business and utilize it for a job in business development. Caroline Jacquay is a two-year Spartan, graduating with her Bachelor's in interdisciplinary studies. She plans to move home to Tampa to pursue a career in youth sports development and use her creativity to explore all the possibilities of future endeavors. Truett Taylor is four-year Spartan who has gone above and beyond to assist Upstate Softball through the last two seasons after her career playing as a Spartan came to a close. Over the past two years, Truette has assisted the staff in various ways including in game help with the pitchers. She plans to return next semester to obtain her Bachelor's in biology before moving back home to begin the process of getting into medical school with the hopes of becoming a pediatric surgeon.
Up Next for the Spartans
Upstate finished third in the Big South with a 13-8 conference record and will enter the 2023 Big South Softball Championship set for May 11th-13th in Radford, Va. as the No. 3 seed.
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