Jake Armsey Notches Multi-Hit Day and Kenan Bowman Hits First Career Long Ball as Baseball Drops Series Finale Against High Point Sunday

Sunday, March 15

Spartanburg, S.C.

1:00 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

10-11, 2-1

High Point

11-9, 1-2

High Point

USC Upstate

Photo by: Catherine Harney

3/15/2026 6:20:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Closing a series fitted for late May rather than early March, USC Upstate baseball and High Point delivered a three-game set with a postseason feel this weekend at Cleveland S. Harley Park, battling until the very end in Sunday's finale. Going for the sweep, the Spartans dropped the series' third game in the late innings, falling 9-7 to the Panthers.

Sunday's game saw momentum come in waves as the two sides answered one another's punches with a counterpunch, seeing the lead change hands twice and tied twice. High Point landed the first blow, scratching a run without a hit in the first. However, Upstate responded in the second inning as redshirt sophomore rightfielder Kenan Bowman launched his first career home run, a three-run blast to center.

The Panthers rallied with single tallies in the fourth and fifth to tie things at the game's midpoint before Upstate answered with two runs in the home half of the fifth, using a wild pitch and sac fly from fifth-year senior designated hitter Johnny Sweeney. High Point fought back, plating two in the following half inning before scoring the go-ahead runs in the eighth for the victory.

Bowman secured the Spartans' lone multi-RBI game, tying for the team lead with his fourth such game this season. Redshirt senior third baseman Jake Armsey registered Upstate's lone multi-hit game as his two hits extended his team-long hitting streak and reached base streak to seven and 10 games, respectively.

Making his first weekend start, redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Max Eichenberger tied his career high, striking out five over a career-long-tying 3.0 innings of work. Out of the bullpen, sophomore left-hander Max Kaplan turned in his longest relief outing of the season—in his third appearance of the week—with 2.0 scoreless innings of work.

Game Information
Score: High Point 7; USC Upstate 5
Records: USC Upstate (10-11; 2-1 Big South); High Point (11-9; 1-2 BSC)
Location: Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.

How It Happened

T1: Hanging the first run on the board, High Point used back-to-back groundouts to produce a run, the RBI going to Landen Johnson.
B2: Putting the Spartans in front, Kenan Bowman launched a three-run shot to the deepest part of the ballpark in center.
T4: Getting a run back, Johnson slugged a solo homer to right-center for the Panthers.
T5: Battling back to knot the contest, Jack Clark produced High Point's third tally with a single to right-center.
B5: Breaking the deadlock, Upstate scored a pair in the fifth. The first came as Jake Armsey scampered home on a wild pitch before Johnny Sweeney drove home Tyler Lang with a sac fly.
T6: Fighting back once more, the Panthers tied the game behind a Jace Kohler RBI single and an RBI fielder's choice from Frank Kelly.
T8: Pulling a ball down the rightfield line, Willie Ponce drove home the final two High Point runs with an RBI triple.

Notable

Behind Kenan Bowman's second-inning, three-run blast, Upstate scored its first runs of all three games with a home run, following a two-run homer from Wylie Waters on Friday and a three-run shot from Maloy Heaghney on Saturday.
Bowman's homer marked the first of his collegiate career as he became the third Spartan this season to hit his first career Division I home run in a Spartan uniform, joining Clayton Campidilli and Heaghney.

Up Next for the Spartans
Returning to the road, Upstate begins a five-game road swing next Wednesday at Charlotte. The Spartans and 49ers meet for a 6 p.m. ET first pitch.

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