Jake Cubbler Eighth Inning vs. Kentucky Game 2 2024
Ellie Arnold
3
Winner Kentucky UK 2-0
0
USC Upstate UPST 0-2
Winner
Kentucky UK
2-0
3
Final
0
USC Upstate UPST
0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Kentucky UK 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 1
USC Upstate UPST 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 4

W: Dominic Niman (1-0) L: Curtis, Mathieu (0-1) S: Johnny Hummel (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Jake Cubbler Comes On in Relief to Strike Out a Career-Best Eight Batters, But Baseball Succumbs to Kentucky Saturday

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After the bats stole the show in the season opener, it was the pitching staff's turn in the limelight Saturday as a pitcher's duel ensued at Cleveland S. Harley Park as USC Upstate baseball and Kentucky finished the afternoon without a single earned run crossing the plate as the Spartans dropped a 3-0 decision.
 
Coming out of the bullpen, redshirt junior right-hander Jake Cubbler made the most of his first outing of the new season as the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch List member stopped Kentucky in its tracks, surrendering just three hits and one walk over 5.0 innings of work. He also kept the Wildcat lineup in check as he struck out a career-high eight batters, collecting multiple punchouts in three of his five full innings.
 
Offensively, five Spartans collected a hit apiece with freshman third baseman Vance Sheahan picking up his fourth hit of the season—the most by a Spartan this season. Senior second baseman Easton Cullison added his third stolen base of the season after collecting his lone hit as redshirt senior catcher David Pereira notched his first of the year after reaching after being hit by a pitch later in the game.
 
Game Information
Score: (RV) Kentucky 3; USC Upstate 0
Records: USC Upstate (0-2; 0-0 Big South); Kentucky (2-0; 0-0 SEC)
Location: Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
  • T1: Beginning the game's scoring, Kentucky took advantage of a wide throw to first on an attempted double play turn to push across the afternoon's first run as the arrant throw allowed leadoff man Nick Lopez to score.
  • T4: Scoring in a similar fashion to the first inning, the Wildcats took advantage of another error to score its first run of the frame as an attempt to cut down a runner at the plate bounced in the dirt, allowing the run to score. Kentucky added another run later in the inning with a groundout to the right side.
 
Notable
  • Striking out eight batters while working in relief Saturday, Jake Cubbler notched the highest strikeout total by an Upstate reliever in a game since Feb. 27, 2021, when Sawyer Worrell punched out eight batters against College of Charleston.
  • Allowing zero earned runs to the Wildcats in game two of the series, Upstate suffered its first loss when not allowing an earned run since May 17, 2016, a 3-1 loss to Presbyterian.
  • Reaching with a hit Saturday, Easton Cullison upped his team-leading reached base streak to 16 games, the lone active streak greater than 10 games. Jace Rinehart pushed his team-leading hitting streak to seven games with a hit of his own.
  • Drawing a walk in game two of the series, Koby Kropf extended his reached base streak to six games, encompassing all six games he's appeared in wearing an Upstate uniform.
  • Earning the start as the team's designated hitter Saturday, Ryan Fluharty made his USC Upstate debut, becoming the third Spartan to do so this season.
 
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