Grant Sherrod Walk-Off Celebration vs. Tennessee Tech Gm 1 2024
Emily Rangel
15
Winner Upstate UPST 15-8
5
Radford RAD 7-13
Winner
Upstate UPST
15-8
15
Final
5
Radford RAD
7-13
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Upstate UPST 1 0 1 1 1 7 0 2 2 15 15 0
Radford RAD 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 5 8 3

W: Sullivan, Noah (5-1) L: ROUSE, S. (1-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Grant Sherrod's Six-Hit Game and 23rd Career Homer Headline Historic Day for Baseball in a 15-5 Friday Win Over Radford

RADFORD, Va. – Behind a historic afternoon that saw the program's first-ever six-hit game and the program's Division I era (2007-pres.) career home run mark tied, USC Upstate baseball improved to a 4-0 start in Big South play for the second straight season behind a 15-5 series-opening victory over Radford Friday at Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium.
 
Picking up a hit in each of his six plate appearances, redshirt senior first baseman Grant Sherrod became the fourth player in the program's D1 era to record multiple career games with five or more hits, collecting the program's first-ever six-hit game. He finished his afternoon going 6-for-6 with a double and home run while driving in six runs. His long ball in his final at-bat during the top of the ninth marked the 23rd home run of his career, tying him with former Spartan Charlie Carpenter for the program's D1 era career record.
 
With Sherrod's homer, the long ball was the fourth and final of the game for the Spartans as the team recorded its fourth game with four or more homers—the first such game away from Cleveland S. Harley Park. Redshirt senior shortstop Troy Hamilton hit the first homer, his 10th of the year, in the first inning before junior leftfielder Jace Rinehart and redshirt sophomore designated hitter Noah Sullivan slugged their seventh and sixth home runs, respectively, in the fourth and sixth innings.
 
On the mound, Sullivan recorded his Big South-best fifth win as he tossed 6.2 innings while striking out four hitters. Following him out of the bullpen, freshman right-hander Cooper Ellingworth and sophomore righty Braden Consaul combined for 2.1 scoreless innings of work, allowing just two combined baserunners.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 15; Radford 5
Records: USC Upstate (15-8; 4-0 Big South); Radford (7-13; 0-1 Big South)
Location: Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium | Radford, Va.
 
How It Happened
  • T1: Putting the Spartans on the board in their opening trip to the dish, Troy Hamilton launched a solo shot off the scoreboard in left-center.
  • T3: Adding a run to its total, Grant Sherrod dropped a single into left-center as Daniel Gernon raced home for another Upstate tally.
  • T4: Extending the Spartans' advantage, Jace Rinehart exited the ballpark with an opposite-field shot to right.
  • T5: Picking up his second RBI of the afternoon, Sherrod again drove home Gernon, this time with a single back through the box.
  • B5: Opening the inning with a pair of hits, Radford put itself on the board for the first time with a two-run homer to left from Hunter Keen. The Highlanders added another in the inning with a single through the right side, trimming the deficit to one with a three-run frame.
  • T6: Answering the three-spot surrendered in the previous half inning, Upstate sent 12 men to the plate and scored seven runs in the sixth inning. Easton Cullison and Gernon drove in the first two runs of the inning before Sherrod notched the first multi-RBI hit, driving home two. The final three runs of the frame came as Noah Sullivan backed himself with a three-run shot.
  • B7: Finishing their scoring, the Highlanders responded to the Spartans' seven-run sixth with two runs of their own in the home half of the seventh. The first tally crossed on a groundout with the bases loaded with the second coming in following an HBP with the bases full.
  • T8: Upstate countered the Radford runs with two of its own in the following half inning as the first crossed as Sherrod raced home on a wild pitch with Rinehart driving home another later in the frame with a single.
  • T9: Closing out the game's scoring and capping his historic day, Sherrod launched a two-run homer to left-center.
 
Notable
  • Becoming the fourth player in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.) to record multiple games with five or more hits, Grant Sherrod became the first in program history with a six-hit game. He capped his afternoon with his 23rd career home run, tying Charlie Carpenter for the program's D1 era career record.
  • Swiping three bases Friday afternoon, Easton Cullison posted a career-high in the category while recording the first individual three-steal game by a Spartan since Noah Myers stole three bags in game two of a March 25, 2022, doubleheader at Radford.
  • Behind his first-inning homer, Troy Hamilton became the fourth Spartan in the program's D1 era to record a double-digit homer season with his 10th of the 2024 season. He joins James Fowlkes (10 in 2016), Carpenter (11 in 2017), and Sherrod (15 in 2023) in the exclusive company.
 
Tickets on Sale for Sparty's Ball – Saturday, May 18
Support USC Upstate Athletics at Sparty's Ball, the largest fundraiser of the year for the Upstate Athletic Fund. The UAF impacts current and future generations of Spartans, developing champions on the field, building scholars in the classroom, and preparing leaders for life. Presented by the Sports Medicine Institute, a division of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Sparty's Ball features live and silent auction items, delicious food from Cribbs Catering, beverages, and live entertainment from Under the Sun, and held at a new location, Indigo Hall in downtown Spartanburg. Come dressed in your Spartan best—cocktail attire is required. For details and tickets, log onto www.upstatespartans.com/spartysball.

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