SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Closing out the season's opening weekend and a series against a 2023 NCAA Super Regional participant and a team entering the new season receiving votes in the national polls, USC Upstate baseball showed its resilience as it fought back with another late-game rally attempt against Kentucky before falling 9-3 in the series finale Sunday at Cleveland S. Harley Park.
 
Whereas the pitching staff headlined the day in game two, the bats got things going in the final game of the series, collecting seven hits with three of the seven hits going for extra bases. Two Spartans, redshirt senior shortstop Troy Hamilton and redshirt sophomore designated hitter Noah Sullivan, reached base four times each as both tallied two hits and two free bases apiece.
 
Hamilton collected two of Upstate's three extra-base hits, nearly missing a long ball in the fourth inning as he tripled off the top of the wall in right-center before crushing his second homer of the year in the eighth, a solo shot to deep left-center. Adding the Spartans' other extra-base hit, redshirt senior first baseman Grant Sherrod slugged his first home run of the year with a two-run blast in the sixth.
 
Game Information
Score: (RV) Kentucky 9; USC Upstate 3
Records: USC Upstate (0-3; 0-0 Big South); Kentucky (3-0; 0-0 SEC)
Location: Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened

• T2: Taking advantage of three hits and a walk in the inning, Kentucky opened the game's scoring with a three-spot in the second. The first run of the afternoon scored following a double to left-center before a sac bunt pushed across another. The final run of the frame came via a single to left.
• T4: Tacking on to their lead, the Wildcats added a tally in the fourth as Lukas Schramm homered to left-center.
• T5: Behind three singles in the frame, Kentucky added two additional runs in the fifth behind RBI singles to left and to right-center.
• T6: Pushing their lead to eight runs, the Wildcats tacked on two more runs as Ty Crittenberger homered down the leftfield line.
• B6: Breaking up the shutout and getting back two of its runs as Grant Sherrod slammed his first homer of the year, leaving the yard to deep left-center.
• T8: Continuing the stretch of runs scored via the long ball, Eli Small clubbed a solo shot to center.
• B8: Answering the Wildcats' homer run, Troy Hamilton followed Sherrod's earlier lead as he crushed a ball to left-center to cap the day's scoring.

 
Notable

• Adding another hit in the series finale against Kentucky, Vance Sheahan finished his first collegiate series with a three-game hitting streak. His three-game hitting streak to begin his career is the longest by a Spartan since teammate Noah Sullivan fashioned a five-game hitting streak to his freshman season in 2022.
• Reaching base at least once in all three games this weekend, Troy Hamilton and Jace Rinehart upped their reached base streaks to 10 games each, becoming the longest active streaks by a Spartan following Sunday's game. Rinehart's eight-game hitting streak ends the weekend as the longest active hitting streak by a Spartan.
• Drawing a walk in game three of the series, Koby Kropf extended his reached base streak to seven games, encompassing all seven games he's appeared in wearing an Upstate uniform.
• Appearing a defensive replacement or appearing out of the bullpen, three more Spartans made their USC Upstate debuts Sunday with Tyler Lang, Cooper Ellingworth, and Tommy Henninger making their debuts.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
Following the season's opening weekend, Upstate gets its first taste of midweek action as it continues its season-opening homestand Wednesday afternoon. The Spartans host Western Carolina in the team's first midweek contest with first pitch set for 3 p.m. ET.
 
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