Baseball's Bullpen Combines for 6.1 Innings of Two-Hit, One-Run Baseball, Leading Way in Midweek Contest at Clemson

Tuesday, April 21

Clemson, S.C.

7:00 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

19-23

Clemson

26-16

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

Wyatt Land 4th Inn. vs. Clemson Gm 1 2026 - EH

Photo by: Emma Hudson

4/21/2026 10:59:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

CLEMSON, S.C. – In the final game of its eight-game road swing contested in the Palmetto State, USC Upstate baseball dropped its midweek contest Tuesday evening, falling 7-2 to Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in the first of two meetings between the clubs this season.

Spartan pitching Tuesday limited the Tigers to five hits, the fewest allowed by the program to Clemson in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.). Five of the seven Upstate pitchers used posted scoreless appearances, with four of the five not allowing a hit. The Spartan bullpen of freshman right-handed pitcher Andrew Kummer, sophomore righty Brad Benton, junior right-hander Wyatt Land, senior righty Juan Reyes, redshirt junior right-hander Max Eichenberger, and sophomore righty Cayden Mackey combined to allow two hits and one run over 6.1 combined innings of work.

Kummer, Land, Reyes, Eichenberger, and Mackey each notched scoreless outings while Benton, Land, Reyes, and Eichenberger did not permit a hit.

At the plate, redshirt freshman centerfielder Trey Bentley extended his team-long reached base streak to 22 games with a single, giving him a hit in nine of his past 10 contests. Redshirt senior third baseman Jake Armsey collected Upstate's lone extra-base hit with a double with senior leftfielder Preston Lucas recording the Spartans' final hit.

Game Information
Score: Clemson 7; USC Upstate 2
Records: USC Upstate (19-23; 8-10 Big South); Clemson (26-16; 6-12 ACC)
Location: Doug Kingsmore Stadium | Clemson, S.C.

How It Happened

B1: Seeing the first three hitters of the frame reach, Clemson jumped out to an early lead behind a three-run homer to left by Luke Gaffney.
T2: Getting a run back for the Spartans, Preston Lucas shot a ball back against the grain of the shift, plating Jake Armsey from second base.
B2: Answering the Spartans' run, the Tigers clawed three additional tallies in the second. Tryston McCladdie drove home the first run with a single into center before Gaffney added two more with a single back through the middle.
B4: Adding a run of insurance, Clemson's Jacob Jarrell drew a bases-loaded walk, plating the Tigers' seventh run of the contest.
T6: Scratching a run, Johnny Sweeney scampered home on a wild pitch for Upstate's second run of the night.

Notable

With a single in the seventh inning, Trey Bentley extended his team-leading reached base streak to 22 games. His reached base streak is the longest since Preston Lucas' 29-game streak snapped on Feb. 15 against South Alabama.
Gunning down another would-be base stealer—his third in the past two games—in the seventh inning, Tyler Lang notched his 10^th runner caught stealing of the campaign. Hitting double digits in the category, he extends the Spartans' streak to two consecutive seasons with a catcher gunning down double-digit runners, marking the third time in four seasons an Upstate catcher has hit the mark.
Tuesday's loss pushed Upstate's losing skid to six games, the longest for the program since a six-game losing streak from April 3 to April 12, 2022.

Up Next for the Spartans
Closing out its final extended road swing of the season, USC Upstate heads to the Yellowhammer State for the second time this year, facing Samford in a three-game weekend set. The Spartans and Bulldogs begin their non-conference series Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Connect with the Spartans
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics
Twitter | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartans
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TICKETS ON-SALE FOR SPARTY'S BALL – MAY 15^th
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!