Koby Kropf & AJ Hacker HR Celebration vs. UNC Asheville Gm 3 2024
Emily Rangel
6
UNC Asheville AVLBASE 11-15, 1-5 BSC
7
Winner USC Upstate UPST 18-11, 7-2 BSC
UNC Asheville AVLBASE
11-15, 1-5 BSC
6
Final
7
USC Upstate UPST
18-11, 7-2 BSC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UNC Asheville AVLBASE 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 6 6 1
USC Upstate UPST 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 0 X 7 10 1

W: Proger, Henry (4-2) L: Colby Guy (4-2) S: Parson, Julian (2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Sweeps Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series By Slugging Four Homers in 7-6 Saturday Victory over UNC Asheville

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A day after not holding the lead until plating the final run to take a series victory, USC Upstate baseball earned another come-from-behind victory Saturday afternoon to complete the sweep of the inaugural meeting on the diamond of the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series with a 7-6 win over UNC Asheville at Cleveland S. Harley Park.
 
Seeing a familiar beginning to game two of the series, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead, building the advantage to as many as four runs before the Spartans began their comeback. Building upon a series trend that saw Upstate score one more run with a home run than it scored in the game before, the Spartans scored each of their seven runs Saturday via the long ball, slugging four on the afternoon.
 
Battling back in the sixth inning, the Spartans hit three home runs in an inning for the third time during the 2024 season, getting a pair of homers to lead off an inning for the second time this season as redshirt senior centerfielder Daniel Gernon and redshirt senior shortstop Troy Hamilton going back-to-back to put Upstate on the board. Redshirt junior rightfielder Koby Kropf hit the final and biggest home run of the inning as his three-run blast delivered the Spartans a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Adding the Spartans' final runs of the afternoon, redshirt sophomore designated hitter Noah Sullivan hit the fourth homer of the day, a two-run shot in the seventh.
 
On the mound, senior left-hander Henry Proger tossed 6.0 innings, putting the Spartans in position to make their comeback as he struck out five hitters. Taking over out of the bullpen, sophomore right-hander Braden Consaul, senior lefty Jagger Jefferis, and junior righty Julian Parson combined to work the final three innings, surrendering just one hit and two unearned runs with Parson earning the save, his second of the year.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 7; UNC Asheville 6
Records: USC Upstate (18-11; 7-2 Big South); UNC Asheville (11-15; 1-5 Big South)
Location: Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
  • T2: Jumping out to an early lead, Michael Groves put UNC Asheville on the board with a solo homer to right.
  • T6: Adding to their lead, the Bulldogs tacked on three additional runs in the sixth, pushing across the first with a sac fly into the rightfield corner. The final two runs of the frame crossed on a two-run homer from Cameron Johnson.
  • B6: Answering the three runs scored in the previous half inning, Upstate battled its way back to take the lead, slugging three homers in the inning to score five runs. Daniel Gernon and Troy Hamilton went back-to-back with solo shots to open the inning before Koby Kropf slammed a three-run homer to put the Spartans ahead for good.
  • B7: Tacking on two more runs, Noah Sullivan hit a two-run homer to center to give Upstate a three-run lead.
  • T9: Pulling themselves within one, UNC Asheville plated the final two runs of the game as a dropped pop-up with the bases loaded permitted two runners to cross the plate.
 
Notable
  • Closing out the series sweep Saturday, Upstate scored all seven of its runs via home run, hitting four on the day. Game three saw seven runs scored off home runs, following up five runs scored off homers in game one and six scored off homers in game two.
  • Slugging three homers in the sixth inning against UNC Ashville Saturday, the Spartans recorded their third inning of the season with three homers, joining the fourth inning against Saint Joseph's on Feb. 25 and the first inning versus Penn on March 2.
  • Going back-to-back to lead off the sixth, Daniel Gernon and Troy Hamilton registered the third instance of Spartans hitting back-to-back home runs this season, also doing so on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 versus Canisius and Saint Joseph's. Opening the inning with consecutive homers, it marked the second time this season hitting back-to-back homers to lead off an inning, last doing so on Feb. 25 against Saint Joseph's.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Upon the conclusion of the team's four-game homestand, the Spartans host one more time as the team hosts Clemson at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. next Tuesday. The contest marks the second of three meetings this season with Clemson and Upstate's second and final game at Fluor Field this season.
 
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.

Connect with the Spartans
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