Friday, April 10
Spartanburg, S.C.
6:00 p.m.
University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
18-17, 7-6
9
vs
1
Charleston Southern
20-12, 5-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Southern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| USC Upstate | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | X | 9 | 9 | 0 |
Photo by: Catherine Harney
Johnny Sweeney's Go-Ahead Grand Slam Backs Strong Pitching Performances in Series-Opening Win over Charleston Southern
4/10/2026 11:25:00 PM | Baseball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Entering the weekend seeking a fifth straight series victory against the Buccaneers, USC Upstate baseball took the first step in reaching said goal as it reeled off its sixth straight win against Charleston Southern, taking the series opener 9-1 Friday evening at Cleveland S. Harley Park.
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The Spartans' pitching staff held the Buccaneers in check, limiting their foe to three hits and one run on the night. Setting the tone, junior left-handed pitcher Chris Torres, in his first start since March 27, tossed 5.2 innings as he scattered the three hits and one run while striking out two. His outing marked the longest by an Upstate starting pitcher since March 28, when junior right-hander Brent Stukes turned in 5.0 innings of work against UNC Asheville.
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Four bullpen arms combined to work 3.1 hitless and scoreless innings of relief as freshman righty Andrew Kummer, redshirt freshman right-hander Jacob Kirby, junior lefty Jack Gibson, and sophomore righty Brad Benton allowed just one baserunner amongst them. Kummer entered the game with the bases loaded in the sixth, striking out the lone hitter he faced, stranding the bases loaded for the third time this season.
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Backing the strong performance from the team's arms, fifth-year senior designated hitter Johnny Sweeney provided the firepower, breaking a 0-0 deadlock in the home half of the third with a go-ahead grand slam, his team-lead-tying sixth homer of the season delivering a season-high four RBI. Collecting the team's lone multi-hit game and one of the other multi-RBI efforts, senior catcher Preston Lucas tallied two hits and two RBI. Senior second baseman Gage Griggs notched the other multi-RBI game with two runs driven in.
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Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 9; Charleston Southern 1
Records: USC Upstate (17-16; 7-6 Big South); Charleston Southern (20-12; 5-5 Big South)
Location: Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.
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How It Happened
Notable
Connect with the SpartansÂ
Facebook.com/UpstateAthleticsÂ
Twitter | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
Instagram | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
TICKETS ON-SALE FOR SPARTY'S BALL – MAY 15th
Support USC Upstate student-athletes at Sparty's Ball, the largest fundraising event of the year for the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF), to be held Friday, May 15, 2025, at The Piedmont Club. For tickets, sponsorship, and auction information, click here!
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The Spartans' pitching staff held the Buccaneers in check, limiting their foe to three hits and one run on the night. Setting the tone, junior left-handed pitcher Chris Torres, in his first start since March 27, tossed 5.2 innings as he scattered the three hits and one run while striking out two. His outing marked the longest by an Upstate starting pitcher since March 28, when junior right-hander Brent Stukes turned in 5.0 innings of work against UNC Asheville.
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Four bullpen arms combined to work 3.1 hitless and scoreless innings of relief as freshman righty Andrew Kummer, redshirt freshman right-hander Jacob Kirby, junior lefty Jack Gibson, and sophomore righty Brad Benton allowed just one baserunner amongst them. Kummer entered the game with the bases loaded in the sixth, striking out the lone hitter he faced, stranding the bases loaded for the third time this season.
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Backing the strong performance from the team's arms, fifth-year senior designated hitter Johnny Sweeney provided the firepower, breaking a 0-0 deadlock in the home half of the third with a go-ahead grand slam, his team-lead-tying sixth homer of the season delivering a season-high four RBI. Collecting the team's lone multi-hit game and one of the other multi-RBI efforts, senior catcher Preston Lucas tallied two hits and two RBI. Senior second baseman Gage Griggs notched the other multi-RBI game with two runs driven in.
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Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 9; Charleston Southern 1
Records: USC Upstate (17-16; 7-6 Big South); Charleston Southern (20-12; 5-5 Big South)
Location: Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.
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How It Happened
- B3: Busting the deadlock, Johnny Sweeney unloaded on the first pitch he saw in his second at-bat, exiting the yard in right-center, his grand slam delivering Upstate the lead.
- B4: Jumping on the first pitch of his second at-bat, Preston Lucas led off the fourth frame with a solo shot to right-center. Later in the stanza, Gage Griggs plated the sixth Spartan run with a sac fly to left.
- B5: Picking up his second run batted in and furthering the Upstate advantage, Lucas lifted a sac fly to right, scoring Sweeney.
- T6: Loading the bases, Charleston Southern scratched its lone tally as Chandler Tuupo drew a bases-loaded walk.
- B6: Getting their run back, the Spartans scored their eighth run behind a Tyler Lang single to right.
- B7: Adding the final run of the night to the scoreboard, Griggs drove home the marker with a groundout to the right side.
Notable
- Launching his third-inning grand slam, Johnny Sweeney swatted the Spartans' second grand slam of the campaign, following Henry Zenor's slam on March 28, against UNC Asheville. Upstate's two grand slams in 2026 extend the program's streak of consecutive seasons with multiple grand slams, a six-year streak dating to 2021.
- Taking over on the mound and inheriting the bases loaded for the fourth time this season, Andrew Kummer stranded all three runners for the third time this season. On the year when inheriting the bases loaded, he's stranded 11 of 12 inherited runners. He leads the club with 13 inherited runners stranded this season.
Connect with the SpartansÂ
Facebook.com/UpstateAthleticsÂ
Twitter | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
Instagram | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
TICKETS ON-SALE FOR SPARTY'S BALL – MAY 15th
Support USC Upstate student-athletes at Sparty's Ball, the largest fundraising event of the year for the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF), to be held Friday, May 15, 2025, at The Piedmont Club. For tickets, sponsorship, and auction information, click here!
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Torres, Chris (4-2)
L: VONKAPFF,Titus (4-3)
Batting:
RBI: TUUPO,Chandler 1
SH: COLLINS,Kain 1
Base Running:
RUNS: READER,Ethan 1
CS: COLLINS,Kain 1
PO: COLLINS,Kain 1 ; PRINGLE,Lucas 1
Batting:
2B: Bentley, Trey 1
HR: Sweeney, Johnny 1 ; Lucas, Preston 1
RBI: Lang, Tyler 1 ; Sweeney, Johnny 4 ; Lucas, Preston 2 ; Griggs, Gage 2
SF: Lucas, Preston 1 ; Griggs, Gage 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zenor, Henry 1 ; Bentley, Trey 1 ; Sweeney, Johnny 2 ; Lucas, Preston 2 ; Waters, Wylie 1 ; Ritzer, Alex 1 ; Griggs, Gage 1
HBP: Zenor, Henry 1 ; Sweeney, Johnny 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
4
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