GREENVILLE, S.C. - Returning to the field for their first road matchup in Greenville, South Carolina, the Spartans took the field for a non-conference doubleheader against Furman University sweeping the Paladins at the Pepsi Stadium.
Game One (6-1, Win)
Opening the top of the first, Taliyah Thomas saw the green light on 1-1 pitch getting on base with an infield single and following with stealing second base. The Spartans opened the scoring column with Abigail Pippen's single to right field scoring the first run with Thomas cruising to home plate. Taking the field in the bottom of the inning, the Spartans opened with a double play with Abby Polk connecting with Alanna Deal and Carson Shaw finishing the play with tagging a runner out at first. The next at bat resulted in Sierra Maness striking out the batter to make quick work in the inning. The action picked up for Upstate in the top of the fourth inning with Sophia Kardatzke adding an infield single to third base and stealing second. Alanna Deal followed with an RBI single to the left side driving in the second run for the Spartans. Furman continued to have limited momentum at bat with the Spartans neutralizing the Paladins each time they looked to get on base. With Carson Shaw opening the top of the sixth with a single to left center, the Spartans added two more runs with a groundout on Amie Johnson taking the attention away from Kailey Canupp advancing home and an RBI single from Georgia Preddy. Furman managed to add one run in the bottom of the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly. Upstate used the top of the seventh inning to add the final two runs with an RBI single from Carson Shaw scoring Emily Stern and a wild pitch scoring Sophia Kardatzke home.
Game Two (8-3, Win)
Game two replicated a hot start for the Spartans with Taliyah Thomas smacking a triple to right field while showcasing her speed. Abigail Pippen's double to right center was enough to score the first run with Thomas making her way home. Furman went through the bottom of the inning with zero hits with Maddie Drerup adding a putout and striking out a batter. The Paladins picked up the pace taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer to centerfield. Upstate kept their composure by responding with Denver Lauer singling to right field tying the game at two. Furman regained the lead with a sacrifice fly with hopes of keeping the momentum going but the Spartans had other plans with Amie Johnson's hit down the right field line scoring two runs to take the lead. To add to the inning, Amie Johnson scored their fifth run to end the inning with three runs. The Spartans continued their momentum in the top of the sixth with Olivia Burkshire scoring the following run. Sophia Kardatzke's single to center field was enough to put the defense in a bind seeing Denver Lauer and Taliyah Thomas score the final runs to end the doubleheader with a sweep.
Notable
Up Next for the Spartans
Following the midweek clash, the Spartans travel to Rock Hill for a two-day Coach Cooke Tournament at Winthrop. The Spartans will take the field at 10:00 A.M. and 12:30 P.M on Friday, February 28th. Upstate will conclude with two more matchups at 10:00 A.M. & 3:00 P.M.
SAVE THE DATE FOR SPARTY'S BALL – MAY 17th – Support USC Upstate Athletics at Sparty's Ball, the largest fundraising event of the year for the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF), to be held Saturday, May 17, 2025 at the Milliken Club at Fifth Third Park. For tickets, sponsorship and auction information, click here!
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