Cooper Ellingworth Ninth Inning vs. Presbyterian Gm 2 2024
Ryan Frye
8
Winner UPST UPST 32-20
5
Longwood LWUBASE 21-28
Winner
UPST UPST
32-20
8
Final
5
Longwood LWUBASE
21-28
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UPST UPST 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 2 0 8 14 1
Longwood LWUBASE 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 5 7 0

W: Ellingworth, Cooper (5-3) L: POTOJECKI, A (0-5) S: Consaul, Braden (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Closes Big South Slate with 8-5 Win at Longwood as Offense Backs Strong Pitching Efforts

FARMVILLE, Va. – Closing out its 2024 Big South Conference slate, USC Upstate baseball captured the rubber match of its series with Longwood as the offense backed a strong effort from the team's pitching staff in an 8-5 victory Sunday afternoon at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
At the plate, all nine Upstate starters picked up at least one hit as five Spartans recorded multi-hit efforts en route to 14 hits on the day. The biggest hit of the day came as redshirt junior rightfielder Koby Kropf hit his 20th home run of the season, becoming the second player in Upstate history with 20 or more home runs in a single season.
 
Redshirt senior first baseman Grant Sherrod posted his third consecutive three-RBI game as he and junior leftfielder Jace Rinehart recorded multi-RBI contests. Sherrod's three RBI upped his season total to 72 as he's the second Spartan to surpass 70 RBI in a season.
 
Making his second career start, freshman right-hander Cooper Ellingworth tossed a career-long 5.0 innings, earning his fifth win of the season. Out of the bullpen, junior righty Julian Parson and sophomore righty Braden Consaul worked a combined 4.0 innings with Consaul recording his first career save behind 1.1 innings of work, including striking out the side in the ninth.
 
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 8; Longwood 5
Records: USC Upstate (32-20; 16-8 Big South); Longwood (21-28; 8-13 Big South)
Location: Buddy Bolding Stadium | Farmville, Va.
 
How It Happened
  • T1: Taking advantage of five consecutive two-out singles, the Spartans plated two in the opening stanza with Troy Hamilton and Vance Sheahan picking up RBI.
  • B1: Getting a run back in the home half of the inning, Longwood used a pair of two-out hits to score its run with a single through the right side from Drew Camp driving home the run.
  • B2: Coming after a bit of small ball from the Lancers, a sacrifice fly to left from Keondre Shelton tied the game at two.
  • T5: Breaking the 2-2 deadlock, Koby Kropf exited the yard to leftfield, his 20th long ball of the season as the solo shot gave Upstate the lead.
  • B5: Battling back to tie retie the contest, Longwood used a groundout with runners on the corners to plate its third tally of the day.
  • T6: Fighting back to retake the advantage, Upstate plated three in the sixth behind a pair of RBI singles, one to left-center from Jace Rinehart to right-center and a two-run single through the left side from Grant Sherrod.
  • B7: Longwood got a run back in the seventh behind a solo homer from Blagen Pado to left-center.
  • T8: Seeing the same duo drive in runs in the eighth as they did in the sixth, a pair of sac flies from Rinehart and Sherrod tacked on a pair of insurance runs.
  • B8: Cutting into the Spartans' advantage, Longwood scored one in the eighth on a sac fly from Willie Havens.
 
Notable
  • Hitting his 20th home run of the season, Koby Kropf becomes the second player in program history to reach the 20-homer plateau, the first in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.). He sits one home run shy of tying Leonard Thigpen (21 in 1987) for the program's single-season home run record.
  • Behind a two-run single in the sixth, Grant Sherrod surpassed 70 RBI for the season, becoming the second Spartan in program history to reach the mark, the first in the D1 era. He sits three RBI shy (72) from tying Leonard Thigpen's program-record total of 74 from the 1987 season.
  • Adding two hits to his season total Sunday, Jace Rinehart pushed his hit total to 82. His total marks the third-most hits in a single season in the program's D1 era.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Returning home from its four-game road swing, Upstate faces its final home game of the 2024 season Tuesday as it welcomes Georgia State to Cleveland S. Harley Park. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. ET.
 
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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