Maloy Heaghney vs. South Alabama Gm 1 2026 - USA
South Alabama Athletics
7
USC Upstate UPST 0-1
16
Winner South Alabama USA 1-0
USC Upstate UPST
0-1
7
Final
16
South Alabama USA
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
USC Upstate UPST 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 4 0 7 10 1
South Alabama USA 1 2 4 0 2 3 0 4 X 16 15 0

W: SHINEFLEW, Jaxon (1-0) L: Torres, Chris (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Maloy Heaghney Collects Three Hits and Four RBI in USC Upstate Debut, Leading Baseball in Season Opener at South Alabama

MOBILE, Ala. – On the road to begin a new campaign for the first time since 2002, USC Upstate baseball offered a late-inning scoring flurry, pushing across five runs from the seventh inning on, before falling 16-7 Friday evening in its season and series opener at South Alabama.
 
One of 10 Spartans making their USC Upstate debut against the Jaguars, redshirt sophomore shortstop Maloy Heaghney made the most of his debut, going 3-for-5 at the plate while driving home four runs and scoring another, factoring into five of Upstate's seven runs. Recording both a multi-hit and multi-RBI game, he extended the Spartans' streak of having one player record both a multi-hit and multi-RBI game in the season opener to four straight years, following Scott Newman (2025), David Pereira (2024), and Daniel Gernon (2023).
 
Entering the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, redshirt sophomore catcher Tyler Lang finished the night 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI, joining Heaghney with both a multi-hit and multi-RBI game. Adding the Spartans' other multi-hit game, redshirt sophomore centerfielder Henry Zenor collected two hits while two other Spartans reached multiple times, redshirt senior Jake Armsey via two walks and fifth-year designated hitter Johnny Sweeney via one walk and three HBP—the latter tying a single-game program record.
 
Game Information
Score: South Alabama 16; USC Upstate 7
Records: USC Upstate (0-1; 0-0 Big South); South Alabama (1-0; 0-0 Sun Belt)
Location: Stanky Field | Mobile, Ala.
 
How It Happened
  • B1: Breaking open the day's scoring, Duncan Mathews launched a solo shot to left-center.
  • B2: Tacking on a pair of tallies, Rett Johnson and Brennon Wright drove home runs behind a double to left-center and a single to right-center.
  • B3: Extending its advantage, South Alabama added three runs courtesy of a Mike Young long ball.
  • T5: Putting Upstate on the board, Maloy Heaghney drove a single back through the middle, plating Henry Zenor and Micah Coleman.
  • B5: Getting its surrendered runs back, Wright drove in another pair of runs with a double down the leftfield line.
  • B6: Using another double into the leftfield corner, Ethan Melton tallied three RBI as he cleared the bases.
  • T7: Providing the Spartans' answer, Heaghney notched another RBI with a single to left, scoring Trey Bentley.
  • T8: Stringing together three consecutive hits, Bentley, Heaghney, and Tyler Lang stoked Upstate to a four-run inning. Lang's hit proved the biggest, driving home a pair.
  • B8: Responding to Upstate's four spot in the top of the frame, the Jaguars tallied four runs of their own in the home half, using a single, HBP, walk, and wild pitch.
 
Notable
  • Maloy Heaghney (three hits and four RBI) and Tyler Lang (two hits and two RBI) extended Upstate's streak of home openers with at least one player recording both a multi-hit and multi-RBI game. The duo follows Scott Newman (2023; three hits and three RBI), David Pereira (2024; three hits and three RBI), and Daniel Gernon (2023; two hits and two RBI) in the streak.
  • Heaghney's four RBI in the season opener mark the most by a Spartan on Opening Day since Jason Matthews tallied five RBI against Toledo on Feb. 19, 2021.
  • Drawing three HBP, Johnny Sweeney tied the program's single-game record for HBP, becoming the sixth player overall and the fourth in the Division I era (2007-pres.) with the record. He joins Scott Campbell (March 12, 2025, vs. Stetson), J.D. Brock (March 19, 2023, vs. Princeton), Noah Sullivan (March 14, 2023, vs. The Citadel), Brad Wingo (Feb. 2, 2006, vs. Pfeiffer), and Brian Discordia (Feb. 12, 2005, vs. USC Aiken) with the record.
  • In Friday's season opener, 10 Spartans made their USC Upstate debuts with Trey Bentley, Kenan Bowman, Clayton Campidilli, Ben Chuttey, Micah Coleman, Maloy Heaghney, Nathan Hook, Andrew Kummer, Wyatt Lang, and Jack Morris debuting.
 
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