CLINTON, S.C. – Finishing a series that featured multiple momentum and lead changes throughout its duration, the rubber match between USC Upstate baseball and Presbyterian proved no different as the lead changed four times Sunday afternoon with the Spartans' comeback attempt falling just short in a 10-8 setback at the PC Baseball Complex.
 
Jumpstarting the game's scoring, redshirt junior rightfielder Koby Kropf homered for the third straight game with a two-run shot in the first inning. The homer, his 16^th of the season, broke a three-way tie for the program's Division I era (2007-pres.) single-season home run crown, breaking a tie with redshirt senior first baseman Grant Sherrod (15 in 2023) and redshirt sophomore designated hitter Noah Sullivan (15 in 2024). He finished the afternoon with three RBI, adding a third with a groundout, giving him 58 for the season as both his RBI and home run totals pace the Big South Conference.
 
The Blue Hose answered Kropf's home run with four runs of their own in the home half of the first before, ultimately, building a 7-4 advantage following the third inning. Taking over on the mound in the second inning, senior left-hander Jagger Jefferies tossed a career-high-tying four scoreless innings, allowing just three baserunners as he held Presbyterian off the board and allowing Upstate to erase the deficit.
 
Seeing Presbyterian's lead grow as large as four in the second inning, Upstate began chipping away, scoring runs in the second and third behind a solo home run from redshirt senior Daniel Gernon in the second and Kropf's groundout in the third. As Jefferis held the Blue Hose, the Spartans fought back to tie the game in the sixth as freshman third baseman laced a two-run single with the bases loaded before getting in a rundown that allowed the tying run to score.
 
Junior leftfielder Jace Rinehart's second home run of the weekend, a solo shot to left in the seventh, pushed Upstate to the lead and capped a two-hit day for Rinehart—both extra-base hits. Presbyterian, however, scratched a run on a wild pitch in the home half of the inning to tie the game before adding a pair in the eighth to secure the win.
 
Game Information
Score: Presbyterian 10; USC Upstate 8
Records: USC Upstate (28-16; 13-5 Big South); Presbyterian (22-22; 12-6 Big South)
Location: PC Baseball Complex | Clinton, S.C.
 
How It Happened

• T1: Stepping to the plate with one on and two out, Koby Kropf homered to left-center for the third straight game, putting Upstate on the board.
• B1: Answering the Spartans' two-run first inning, Presbyterian doubled up the Spartans in the home half of the inning behind five two-out baserunners—an HBP and four hits.
• T2: Getting a run back for Upstate, Daniel Gernon hit the second of three home runs for the Spartans, a solo shot to leftfield.
• B2: Again, answering Upstate's tallies from the prior half inning, the Blue Hose plated three in the second, doing so behind a single through the left side and a sacrifice fly and double to left.
• T3: Scoring for the third consecutive inning, Upstate plated another run as Kropf picked up his third RBI with a groundout to first with two runners in scoring position.
• T6: Splitting the gap in right-center with a single with the bases loaded, Vance Sheahan picked up a pair of RBI, pulling Upstate within a run. On the play, he got caught in a rundown, ending with him returning safely to first, allowing the third and tying run to score.
• T7: Jumping to the lead once again, the Spartans regained the advantage behind the team's third home run, this time a solo long ball from Jace Rinehart.
• B7: Knotting the game, Presbyterian added a run via a wild pitch.
• B8: Retaking the lead for the final time, the Blue Hose scored the first of two runs in the eighth behind a single up the middle before adding an insurance run with a double to left, closing the game's scoring as Upstate cut down another potential run at the plate.

 
Notable

• Homering for the third straight game and the sixth time in his last seven games, Koby Kropf's Sunday long ball marked his 16^th of the season, the most in a single season by a Spartan in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.). Breaking a tie with Grant Sherrod (15 in 2023) and Noah Sullivan (15 in 2024), Kropf's season total ties for third in program history as he's the fifth Spartan to hit 16-plus home runs in a season.
• Driving home three runs Sunday, Kropf pushed his season total to 58 RBI as he's driven home 17 runs over his past seven games. His season total gives him the Big South's lead in the category and stands as the second-most single-season RBI in the program's D1 era.
• Behind his 18^th double and 12^th homer of the season, Jace Rinehart upped his season extra-base hit total to 33, adding three triples in 2024. The total surpasses Grant Sherrod's total of 32 extra-base hits (14 doubles, two triples, and 15 home runs) in 2024 for the most in a single season in the program's D1 era.

 
Up Next for the Spartans
After not seeing a midweek contest this past week, Upstate picks its midweek schedule back up next week with a trip to Cullowhee, N.C. The Spartans face Western Carolina for the second time this season Wednesday, meeting the Catamounts for a 5 p.m. ET first pitch to close the season series.
 
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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