SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Building upon the momentum it picked up with yesterday's victory, USC Upstate baseball closed the fourth iteration of the OneSpartanburg, Inc. Baseball Classic with a pair of wins, putting together a strong performance in all three phases Sunday to earn redemption against Bowling Green with a 9-2 victory at Cleveland S. Harley Park.
Leading the Spartan offense to a season-high 13 hits, sophomore shortstop
Vance Sheahan pounded out a career-high five hits, becoming the 13
th different player in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.) to record five or more hits in a game (18
th occurrence). He collected one of two extra-base hits for Upstate Sunday with an RBI double down the third base line, leading him to a pair of RBI and runs scored on the day.
Junior first baseman
Wylie Waters notched the other extra-base hit, crushing a two-run homer to left-center in his second at-bat. Joining Sheahan and Waters with a multi-hit and a multi-RBI game, junior outfielder
Cayden Wotipka recorded a pair of knocks and RBI, driving home a pair in a three-run first inning for the Upstate offense.
Continuing the solid pitching effort from Spartan starting pitchers, sophomore left-handed pitcher
Chris Torres tossed a career-long 6.2 innings in his second start of the year, scattering four hits and seven baserunners while striking out five. Following Torres, junior right-hander
Braden Consaul and sophomore righty
Darin Kuskie combined for 2.1 scoreless and hitless innings in relief, striking out three combined.
Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 9; Bowling Green 2
Records: USC Upstate (3-3; 0-0 Big South); Bowling Green (4-2; 0-0 MAC)
Location: Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.
How It Happened
- B1: Opening the day's scoring, Upstate took advantage of a muffed throw to second on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded, scratching the first run as the error prolonged the inning. Cayden Wotipka followed with a two-run single dumped into right, pushing the Spartans to three runs in the first.
- B2: Tacking on two more for the Spartans, Wylie Waters unloaded on a 0-1 pitch, homering to left-center.
- T3: Getting a run back, Bowling Green's Alex Laird homered to left-center, leaving the yard just below the scoreboard.
- B4: Tucking a ball just inside the third base bag and down into the leftfield corner, Vance Sheahan tallied his first RBI, scoring Alex Ritzer from first.
- B5: Lifting a fly ball into center with a pair of runners in scoring position, Preston Lucas plated another with a sac fly, sending Henry Zenor home from third.
- T7: Scoring in similar fashion to their first run, the Falcons added another to the scoreboard on a solo shot from Brady Birchmeier.
- B7: Flipping its lineup over with runners on the corners, Upstate plated a pair in the seventh, earning its run back and then some. Executing a squeeze play, Scott Newman pushed across the first before Sheahan drove home another, capping the day's scoring.
Notable
- Collecting a career-high five hits Sunday, Vance Sheahan becomes the 13th Spartan in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.) to collect five or more hits in a game, the 18th instance of a five-plus hit contest. He's the first since Koby Kropf on April 27, 2024, at Presbyterian to accomplish the feat.
- Tossing 6.2 innings for the Spartans, Chris Torres turned in his longest career outing in his second start in an Upstate uniform. Putting forth a quality start, he follows Max Kaplan (Saturday vs. Le Moyne) in giving the Spartans consecutive quality starts on the mound.
Up Next for the Spartans
Closing the early-season, two-game midweek set against Western Carolina, Upstate welcomes the Catamounts to Cleveland S. Harley Park Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. ET.
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