GREENSBORO, N.C. – Meeting for the first time in the Spartans' Division I era (2007-pres.) in a "Battle of the Spartans" it was UNC Greensboro that struck the first blow, taking the series opener Thursday evening behind a 14-8 decision at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
 
The game saw each of its first five half-innings feature runs as both Spartans traded the lead before Upstate held its foe to the first zero in the home half of the third. Upstate scored at least one run in each of the first five innings, crafting an 8-4 advantage heading into the bottom of the fifth. However, UNCG fought back with four runs to even the game in the fifth before adding tallies in the seventh and eighth to build the final margin.
 
Junior leftfielder Jace Rinehart recorded a multi-hit and a multi-RBI effort for Upstate with one of his two hits on the night driving home both of his runs as he hit his 16^th home run of the season, a two-run shot to left. Two additional Spartans, redshirt senior centerfielder Daniel Gernon and redshirt junior rightfielder Koby Kropf, recorded multi-hit efforts.
 
Game Information
Score: UNC Greensboro 14; USC Upstate 8
Records: USC Upstate (33-21; 16-8 Big South); UNC Greensboro (32-18; 15-6 SoCon)
Location: UNCG Baseball Stadium | Greensboro, N.C.
 
How It Happened

• T1: Beginning the day's scoring, Noah Sullivan, who doubled and advanced on a passed ball, came home to score as UNCG turned a double play behind him.
• B1: Responding to Upstate's run, UNCG led off its first trip to the plate with back-to-back homers from Aidan Brewer and Jake Ogden.
• T2: Answering the two UNCG runs, Upstate responded with two runs in the second, taking advantage of an infield single from Daniel Gernon and subsequent throwing error as Vance Sheahan and Jake Armsey raced home to score.
• B2: Continuing the back-and-forth nature of the game and trading the lead for a third time, UNCG scored twice in the second with both runs coming home off a single down the third baseline.
• T3: Putting pressure on the Spartans of UNCG, Upstate showed base-running aggression on a ball hit back up the middle by Tyler Lang as Koby Kropf and Troy Hamilton scored on an error by the second baseman.
• T4: Building upon its lead after Jagger Jefferis put up a zero in the bottom of the third, Jace Rinehart sent a 1-0 pitch sailing into the trees beyond the leftfield wall with his two-run homer fashioning a three-run advantage.
• T5: Adding to the Upstate lead, Vance Sheahan took a two-strike pitch back through the back, driving home Kropf with the single into center.
• B5: Battling back to knot the contest, UNCG plated four in the fifth, seeing the first two cross following a two-run double off the wall in right-center from Trey Truitt. The Spartans added the second pair with a sac fly and RBI groundout.
• B7: Scratching a run to regain the lead, UNCG saw the run come home as an RBI single from Truitt bound over the drawn-in Upstate infield.
• B8: Tacking on insurance to its lead, UNCG plated five runs in the eighth, building the game's final margin. The first two runs scored via an RBI single and a wild pitch before the final three came in off a three-run home run from Luke Holland.

 
Notable

• Recording his third consecutive multi-hit game, Jace Rinehart tied Gaither Bumgardner (2013) for the second-most hits in a season in program history, pushing his total to 86. He next looks to pick off the program record held by Blake Green who collected 95 hits in 2011.
• Scoring once Thursday, Daniel Gernon scored his 63^rd run of the season, tying Devin Buckner (2022) for the D1 era single-season record for runs scored. The total ranks fourth in program history with Lindsay Robinson's 1988 total (65) next up on the list.

 
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