Beginning Four-Game Week Against SEC Foes, Baseball Falls to South Carolina Tuesday

Tuesday, March 3

Columbia, S.C.

6:30 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

7-7

South Carolina

8-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
USC Upstate	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	3	6	3
South Carolina	3	0	0	0	0	5	3	1	X	12	16	0

Max Kaplan Between Innings vs. South Carolina 2026 - EH

Photo by: Emma Hudson

3/3/2026 10:12:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

COLUMBIA, S.C. – On the road to begin a four-game week against teams from the Southeastern Conference, USC Upstate baseball dropped a midweek decision at South Carolina, falling 12-3 to the Gamecocks Tuesday evening at Founders Park.

Despite falling behind three runs in the first, the Spartans chipped away in the middle innings, plating a pair in the fifth before tying the game in the sixth. Entering the home half of the sixth inning deadlocked at three, South Carolina swung the game's momentum with a five-spot, closing the evening with nine unanswered runs.

Leading Upstate at the plate, redshirt sophomore catcher Tyler Lang authored the team's lone multi-hit effort, collecting two of the Spartans' six hits. Junior first baseman Clayton Campidilli and senior second baseman Gage Griggs each recorded an RBI apiece, using a single and a groundout, respectively.

Making his third midweek start of the season, sophomore left-handed pitcher Max Kaplan struck out six over 5.2 innings of work, registering six-plus punchouts for the third time in as many starts. Adding a strikeout apiece, sophomore right-handed pitcher Brad Benton and senior righty Reece Hemmerling pushed the pitching staff's strikeout total to eight.

Game Information
Score: South Carolina 12; USC Upstate 3
Records: USC Upstate (7-7; 0-0 Big South); South Carolina (8-5; 0-0 SEC)
Location: Founders Park | Columbia, S.C.

How It Happened

B1: Using back-to-back doubles—two of its five hits in the inning—South Carolina plated two as KJ Scobey and Logan Sutter recorded two and one RBI, respectively.
T5: Scratching a pair to get back within a run, Upstate scored behind a Gage Griggs groundout to second with the bases loaded before bringing home the second tally on a balk.
T6: Hitting with two men aboard, Clayton Campidilli tied the game for the Spartans, lacing a single just over the head of the leaping Gamecock shortstop, driving home Tyler Lang from second.
B6: Regaining the advantage, South Carolina hung five on the board in the sixth behind five hits, four producing a run. The biggest hit of the inning came in the form of a two-run shot to left from Patrick Evans.
B7: Adding another three tallies, the Gamecocks got runs off a two-run homer from Sutter and an RBI groundout from Dawson Harman.
B8: Tacking on its final run, South Carolina scored behind Evans' second long ball of the night, a solo shot to left-center.

Notable

Racking up six strikeouts over 5.2 innings of work Tuesday, Max Kaplan recorded his third straight start with six or more strikeouts. He's struck out five-plus hitters in five of his eight career starts.
Recording a pair of hits, Tyler Lang secured his sixth multi-hit effort of the season, tying Maloy Heaghney and Henry Zenor for the team lead in the category.
Tuesday's game marked the first time this season Zenor failed to reach base, snapping his reached base streak at 13 games. Kenan Bowman's seven-game streak takes over as the longest active Spartan reached base streak.

Up Next for the Spartans
Closing its nine-game road swing, USC Upstate makes its first-ever trip west of the Mississippi River, travelling to the Lone Star State for a three-game series at No. 3 Texas. The Spartans and Longhorns meet at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday, 3:00 p.m. Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. Sunday.

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