Upstate Baseball to Visit Texas Longhorns

Following a 4-4 start to the year, the USC Upstate baseball team took a road trip down south to Florida for a couple of midweek battles against familiar foes they once regularly saw in the years after the university made the jump from NCAA Division II to D1 and participated in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN).

Tuesday night, the Spartans were in Jacksonville to face the University of North Florida Ospreys. Max Kaplan got the nod on the mound and tossed 6 innings of shutout ball with 6 strikeouts, 2 walks, and 4 hits. That may have been helped a tad by being staked to a 3-run lead before he ever stepped on the mound.

Henry Zenor led off the game with an infield single to third and came around to score on a 1 out double from Tyler Lang, who would later steal third while Johnny Sweeney drew a walk. Jake Armsey would add the 2nd run on a sacrifice fly and after Sweeney swiped 2nd, Wylie Waters worked a walk to set up another run scoring blow as Kenan Bowman singled.

That would be the last of the offense for either side until the 7th inning – a frame in which the Spartans hung a 4 spot. That rally started with a leadoff base on balls to Lang. Sweeney followed it with his first home run of the season, and after Armsey doubled down the right field line, a passed ball with 1 out plated him. With the bases loaded after a couple of walks, Zenor grounded out to first unassisted to cap the run, making it 7-0 heading to the 7th inning stretch.

Juan Reyes took over for Kaplan to start the 7th inning and worked the final three frames, surrendering three runs on 2 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts, earning the save – his second of the season as USC Upstate left Jacksonville with a 7-3 win.

On Wednesday, the Spartans went to DeLand for a date with the Stetson Hatters. This game was all about the pitching with Upstate once extending their win streak to three on a 2-1 victory behind some fantastic bullpen work.

Max Eichenberger got the nod and started a brief outing – just 2 innings, by hitting the first batter he faced. After a stolen base, a 1 out RBI single put the Hatters on top, but Eichenberger would bounce back to strike out the next 4 to keep it a one run game. Max gave way to Big South Conference Relief Pitcher of the Week Jacob Kirby came on and worked the next three scoreless frames, striking out 2, walking a pair, and surrendering one hit. Andrew Kummer retired two more Stetson hitters on strikes with a walk in two shutout innings while Wyatt Land and Cayden Mackey each tossed an inning with a strikeout.

Upstate’s offense finally broke through in the top of the 4th when Sweeney laced a 2 bagger with 1 away. Armsey drew a walk to follow it and Waters kept the line moving with a single to put Spartans in a Phalanx for Bowman, who delivered an RBI single to tie the game at one. Upstate ultimately squandered a chance to claim the lead when Clayton Campidilli struck out on a 2-2 count and Gage Griggs grounded into a force play that got Waters unassisted at third to retire the side, but they would create just enough offense to get the job done on the top of the 7th when Griggs drew a walk with one down and later swiped 2nd, setting up an RBI double down the right field line by Zenor to plate the decisive run.

Over the last weekend, the Spartans trekked back north, making a 3-game stop at Sun Belt Conference foe Georgia Southern. Rain last Friday forced the postponement of the opener, making for a double header on Saturday. Chris Torres started game one and worked 5 one-run innings with five strikeouts and a walk. He was staked to an early lead after the Spartans scored on a Griggs single in the top of the 2nd, but he would end up with a no-decision when he gave up the tying run on a one out single that followed a leadoff ground rule double in the ensuing half inning.

Cayden Mackey came on to start the 6th after Upstate once again rallied to take the lead on a 2 out throwing error on the GSU first baseman – a play in which Maloy Heaghney was on third and went on contact for what ended up being a line out from Lang. Mackey would give that run back after issuing two 1 out free passes – a walk and a hit batsman with a steal and a balk sandwiched in between. Mackey later scattered three RBI knocks over the next four hitters to make for a 4-2 advantage.

Jacob Kirby held the Eagles at bay over the final 2 frames, shutting them out with a K and a hit. The bats were able to make things interesting with a 2 out RBI double from Heaghney in the top of the 7th, but ultimately fell after leaving a pair in scoring position with one out in the eighth inning.

The Spartans rebounded nicely in the second game – as did starter Brent Stukes, who struggled with command in his last outing against Valparaiso. He threw 5 shutout innings, scattering 3 hits, 4 walks, and three strikeouts. The Upstate bats were able to give him some early support, scoring runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings with some insurance in the 8th.

The scoring started in the top of the 2nd when Sweeney singled to lead off. Bowman doubled to set up a 1 out Micah Coleman sacrifice fly. In the 3rd, Griggs led off with a single and Heaghney was beaned with 1 out, leading to a three run blast from Sweeney for his 2nd homer of the year. Back to back Georgia Southern errors to start the fourth frame were followed by an Alex Ritzer run-scoring single to go up 5-0.

The Maxes – Eichenberger and Kaplan combined to work the last four innings – Eichenberger shutting out the Eagles with 5 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 2 hits while Kaplan gave up 2 earned, both in the bottom of the 9th, on three hits with 3 Ks and a base on balls. That came after Zenor and Lang each singled home a run in the top of the 8th, making the final margin 8-2 in favor of Upstate.

The finale on Sunday saw the Spartans jump out to a huge lead. Two runs in the first and third frames, a three spot in the fifth, and a single run in the 7th had USC Upstate in position for a big series win that would overcome a tough day for the other Max in the pitching staff – Max Bianchini. He gave up 4 earned on 7 hits with three strikeouts and 4 walks in 4 and two-thirds innings of work.

But, the bullpen was also unable to hang zeros. Kummer, Reyes, and Wyatt Land combined for the last 2.1 frames. Reyes ended up giving up 3 in the eighth on 2 hits with 3 walks and a K after loading the bases and giving way to Land.

In the end, Upstate dropped the series with a tough 9-8 loss and would wrap up the road trip with a battle with the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia this past Tuesday. Carolina jumped on Kaplan early with 3 runs in the bottom of the first. He settled in nicely, which allowed the Spartans to tie the game with two runs in the top of the 5th – one on a Griggs RBI grounder and another on a balk, as well as a Campidilli RBI knock. But, the game got broken open on Kaplan in the 6th as South Carolina struck him for four runs on three hits. Kap would be replaced by Kummer, who gave up one more on a 2-run homer (one run was charged to Kaplan) from Patrick Evans, who would homer again in the 8th off Brad Benton. In the end, the Gamecocks cruised to the 12-3 win, dropping USC Upstate’s record to 7-7 as they prepare to head to #3-ranked Texas this weekend for a three game series.

The series with the Longhorns begins Friday at 7:30, continues Saturday at 3, and concludes on Sunday at 1:00 PM.