Baseball Opens Final Weekend with Walk-off Win in Extras, Downing Elon 7-6 Thursday in 10 Innings

Thursday, May 14

Spartanburg, S.C.

5:00 p.m.

University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics

27-27

Elon

20-33

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Elon	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	6	9	2
USC Upstate	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	1	2	7	11	2

Walk-Off Celebration vs. Elon Gm 2 2026 - EH

Photo by: Emma Hudson

5/14/2026 11:27:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Down but not out, not once, but twice. Entering the home half of the ninth and tenth innings trailing, USC Upstate baseball remained resilient, fighting back twice before earning the walk-off victory Thursday evening against Elon, winning 7-6 in extras at Cleveland S. Harley Park. The win completed the season sweep of the Phoenix, earning the Spartans their first extra-inning win of the campaign.

Throughout the night, Upstate battled back from a deficit, doing so three times Thursday. The first saw the Spartans erase a two-run Elon lead with three runs in the fourth inning. The final two instances saw Upstate delete a lead with a tally in the ninth before wiping the final Phoenix advantage with two runs in the 10^th inning.

Building upon the momentum of an inning-ending pickoff from junior left-handed pitcher Chris Torres—his sixth of the season—in the top half, the first three batters in the Upstate order reached via base hit in the home half of the fourth. Senior leftfielder Preston Lucas scratched the first tally with a sac fly to center. A fielder's choice off the bat of redshirt senior second baseman Alex Ritzer tied the ballgame before redshirt sophomore rightfielder Henry Zenor delivered the lead with a single to center.

Trailing by a run in the ninth, the Spartans pounced with two outs, taking advantage of a Phoenix error to tie the ballgame. Redshirt sophomore shortstop Maloy Heaghney started the rally with a double through the right-center gap, coming around to score on an errant throw from Elon's shortstop later in the frame.

Again, facing a one-run deficit in the extra frame, Upstate capitalized on an Elon error to knot the game, seeing redshirt senior third baseman Jake Armsey score on a misplayed ball by the first baseman. Riding the wave of momentum, senior first baseman Wylie Waters ripped a 1-0 pitch through the left side of the infield as Lucas raced home to score, securing Upstate's comeback.

Game Information
Score: USC Upstate 7; Elon 6 (10 inn.)
Records: USC Upstate (27-27; 13-11 Big South); Elon (20-33; 10-20 CAA)
Cleveland S. Harley Park | Spartanburg, S.C.

How It Happened

T3: Striking first, Elon used a two-run double to right-center from Brian DuRoff to break the deadlock.
B4: Answering the Phoenix and fighting back to gain the advantage, Upstate scored three runs in the fourth. Productive outs, a sac fly from Preston Lucas and a fielder's choice from Alex Ritzer pushed across the first two runs. Putting the Spartans out front, Henry Zenor drove home a run with a single to center.
B6: Tacking on a run to their advantage, the Spartans struck behind a sac fly to center from Ritzer, scoring Jake Armsey from third.
T7: Fighting its way back, Elon took advantage of two Upstate errors in the frame, scoring three runs to regain the lead.
B9: Down to its final strike, Upstate tied the game on an error by the Phoenix shortstop, allowing Maloy Heaghney to score from second.
T10: Using a pair of doubles, the Phoenix jumped out front in extras courtesy of Kevin Denty.
B10: For the second straight stanza, the Spartans, thanks to an Elon error, battled back to knot the contest. Wylie Waters provided the walk-off win for Upstate as he ripped a single through the left side, sending Lucas scampering for the plate for the night's final run.

Notable

Earning its second walk-off victory of the season, Upstate's win Thursday against Elon marked its first extra-inning win of the campaign. Courtesy of Wylie Waters in the 10^th inning, Thursday's walk-off is the first in extra innings for the program since May 19, 2023, when David Pereira provided the heroics against Campbell.
Picking off a runner in the fourth inning Thursday, Chris Torres nabbed his sixth pickoff of the season. His total is the best single-season mark in the category since Matt Branham picked off seven runners in 2010. The program's single-season pickoff mark is eight by Jeff Brooks in 1991.
Recording his 28^th multi-hit effort of the season, Henry Zenor upped his season hit total to 80. Reaching the 80-hit plateau in back-to-back seasons, he is the first player in program history with multiple 80-plus-hit seasons.

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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!