Furious Late-Inning Comeback Culminates in Jake Armsey's Walk-Off, Earning Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series Victory Friday Over UNC Asheville

Friday, March 27

Spartanburg, S.C.

5:00 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

13-14, 4-3

UNC Asheville

13-13, 1-3

UNC Asheville

USC Upstate

Photo by: Catherine Harney

3/27/2026 10:23:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Flipping the script from its midweek contest that saw it walked off with a two-run extra-base hit in the ninth, USC Upstate baseball's redshirt senior third baseman Jake Armsey helped the Spartans erase a deficit that had ballooned to as large as seven runs with a two-run double into the right-center gap. Clawing its way back, Upstate captured the series opener with an 11-10 victory over UNC Asheville, the Spartans' first traditional walk-off win since walking off the same Bulldogs on March 29, 2024.

The Bulldogs provided the opening salvo, plating four runs in the first inning before the Spartans turned right back around with their volley, a three-run blast from fifth-year senior designated hitter Johnny Sweeney. From there, UNC Asheville built its seven-run advantage with three tallies in the second, one in the fifth, and two in the sixth, carrying a 10-3 lead into the home half of the sixth.

Scratching a run in the sixth with back-to-back doubles from redshirt freshman rightfielder Trey Bentley and junior first baseman Clayton Campidilli, the Spartans wrestled momentum firmly away from the Bulldogs. From the seventh inning onward, senior right-handed pitcher Juan Reyes and junior left-hander Jack Gibson hung zeros, combining for 3.0 scoreless frames.

Getting back to the dugout behind the first of two inning-ending double plays induced by Reyes, Upstate struck for three in the seventh as senior leftfielder Wylie Waters launched a pinch-hit three-run homer to right-center. Following the twin killing to end the top of the eighth, redshirt sophomore centerfielder Henry Zenor laced a two-run shot down the rightfield line, moving the Spartans within a run.

Stranding a runner in scoring position, Gibson struck out the final batter he faced in the ninth, bringing the heart of the Spartan order to the plate. Sweeney roped a leadoff single into the four hole before being erased on a fielder's choice. In his second plate appearance after coming off the bench, Waters worked a walk, giving way to pinch runner, redshirt sophomore Kenan Bowman. With two on and one out, Armsey jumped on the first pitch he saw, driving it into the right-center gap and up against the wall as redshirt sophomore shortstop Maloy Heaghney and Bowman raced around to score the go-ahead and winning runs.

Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 11; UNC Asheville 10
Records: USC Upstate (13-14; 4-3 Big South); UNC Asheville (13-13; 1-3 Big South)
Location: Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.

How It Happened

T1: Beginning the day's scoring, UNC Asheville plated three runs in the opening frame. An Owen Michelson single to left and a three-run long ball from Jake Minarik drove home the tallies for the Bulldogs.
B1: Getting the Spartans on the board and answering the Bulldogs' opening frame, Johnny Sweeney swatted a three-run homer to right-center.
T2: Reclaiming its four-run lead, UNC Asheville scored thrice in the second using an RBI single from Blaize Johnson and a two-run single from Minarik.
T5: The Bulldogs added another tally to the board in the fifth behind a Coleman McGinnis sac fly.
T6: Expanding its advantage to seven runs, UNC Asheville scored its ninth and 10^th runs on a Michelson two-run shot.
B6: Using back-to-back doubles from Trey Bentley and Clayton Campidilli, Upstate scratched a run in the frame with Campidilli picking up the run batted in.
B7: Stepping to the plate as a pinch hitter, Wylie Waters cranked a three-run, opposite-field blast for the Spartans.
B8: Seeing Upstate with new life following a Bulldog error, Henry Zenor made the Bulldogs pay with a two-run, two-out homer down the rightfield line.
B9: Completing the Spartans' comeback, Jake Armsey, using the team's ninth extra-base hit of the contest, drove home the tying and go-ahead runs with a double into the right-center gap.

Notable

With its victory Friday evening, Upstate secured its first walk-off win since May 4, 2025, versus Longwood, a run-rule walk-off in the eighth inning. The Spartans' latest walk-off is their first traditional, ninth-inning walk-off since March 29, 2024, against UNC Asheville.
Turning a pair of double plays against the Bulldogs, Upstate has turned at least one double play in four straight ballgames, tying the team's longest stretch of games with a twin killing this season. Both of Upstate's double plays Friday featured an unassisted putout by Alex Ritzer, the first two of 14 ground-ball double plays this season to feature only two Spartan infielders.
Working another scoreless inning, Jack Gibson notched his fourth consecutive scoreless outing for Upstate, coming across his first four appearances in a Spartan uniform. He joins Jacob Kirby as the lone Spartan pitchers this season with four consecutive scoreless appearances to begin their Upstate careers, tying Kirby for the longest streak of consecutive scoreless appearances in 2026.

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