Upstate Baseball Takes Two of Three From High Point

The Big South Conference slate began this weekend with a bang in Harley Park as USC Upstate hosted High Point University. These two squads, picked to be atop the league standings in the preseason polls have had good runs through their non-conference slate up. High Point came into the weekend at 10-7 overall averaging just shy of 7 runs per game with a notable road series win last weekend over perennial SEC powerhouse Florida.

The Spartans (8-10) also had a tough road test last weekend, traveling out to Austin to take on the #3-ranked Texas Longhorns. Upstate was swept in that three-game set, extending their sling skid to 5 in a row dating back to the previous weekend when they dropped the rubber match to Georgia Southern and their first midweek game at South Carolina. That slide was broken on Tuesday night at Fifth Third Park thanks to solid pitching from Max Kaplan, Jacob Kirby, and Reece Hemmerling as well as a fifth inning bases-clearing triple from Maloy Heaghney as the Spartans knocked off crosstown rival Wofford 5-2.

Friday’s series opener would feature Chris Torres (0-2, 9.00 ERA) looking to get that number down. But, those hopes took an early dashing when Panther shortstop Willie Ponce lifted a high fly ball to right field that carried out for a solo homer. That was followed with a single up the gut from center fielder Jack Clark, who was later caught leaning off first and was picked off by Upstate catcher Tyler Lang. That pickoff loomed large as the very next pitch was lofted out of left for a no-doubt home run by first baseman Landen Johnson to give High Point a 2-0 lead before the Spartans ever came to the plate.

After Upstate went down in order in the home half of the frame, the Panthers threatened again with a leadoff double off the right field fence from designated hitter Seojun Oh. But he was left on second thanks to Torres settling in with an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt and back to back strikeouts. His bounceback was rewarded in the bottom of the frame with 1 out when Wylie Waters cashed in a leadoff walk to Johnny Sweeney, crushing a game-tying 2 run blast out of right center field. Upstate would threaten with 2 away after Kenan Bowman reached on a fielding error on the 3rd baseman followed by a double down the right field line from Gage Griggs, but nothing came of it as Henry Zenor flied to shallow center to end the inning in a 2-all tie.

The third inning did not go as cleanly for Torres as he issued a leadoff walk to Ponce. After a strikeout, Johnson was issued a free pass, later to be forced for the 2nd out when Kenan Bowman lost a fly ball in the sun that dropped in front of him, tossing to 2nd on a heads up play once he recovered. Left fielder Jake McCarter kept the line moving with an RBI single to right, putting the Panthers back in front. But despite the threat of further damage, Torres got Oh to ground out to second to retire the side.

Upstate answered in the ensuing half inning when Jake Armsey and Tyler Lang singled back to back to start the rally. Johnny Sweeney then drove them both in with an RBI knock to give USC Upstate their first lead of the series. With one down, Waters did damage yet again, splitting the right center gap to plate Sweeney all the way from first. The Spartans ended up working the bases loaded when Preston Lucas bounced back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk that forced High Point to go to their bullpen. Their reliever was met rudely with a single from Bowman to load the bases for Griggs, who would be issued another free pass to force in a 4th run in the frame. The Spartans would send 10 to the dish in the inning, hanging a 4 spot to take a 6-3 lead to the fourth.

After High Point got one back in the 5th, Upstate once again rallied starting with a double from Lucas. After Bowman drew a walk, Griggs bunted them both into scoring position and Zenor was plunked to load the bases for Jake Armsey. A bases loaded walk would end up being all the Spartans would get from it as Lang lined out to 3rd, doubling off Bowman to end the inning with Upstate leading 7-4.

Chris Torres departed after 5 innings, having surrendered 4 earned runs on 8 hits with 6 strikeouts and 3 walks. Jacob Kirby took over and immediately got into a jam after a leadoff double from catcher Justin Ruiz. With 2 out, Kirby issued a base on balls to Jack Clark, but Johnson flied to left to leave men on the corners and preserve the 7-4 lead. Upstate was able to add another in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly from Bowman that plated Heaghney after the Spartans worked the bases loaded with 1 out, making it 8-4 heading to the 7th.

USC Upstate added one more in the 8th on a 1 RBI 2-bagger from Bowman to push across a 9th run that would prove to be crucial as Jacob Kirby, after 3 shutout frames, came back out looking for a 4-inning save. After beaning Clark, Johnson singled followed by a Lane Allen three run shot to left, cutting Upstate’s lead to just two. Kirby was taken down for Andrew Kummer, who in his first appearance on his home mound this season, got the next two batters to pop up to third in foul ground and ground out to short, respectively to get the save, locking down a 9-7 win to open the series.

The propensity of these two teams to score a tin of runs – especially against one another showed again in game two on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans jumped in front early when Heaghney clubbed the first of 4 home runs in the game by Upstate hitters – a three run shot in the bottom of the first. After a Tyler Lang RBI single in the 2nd, Preston Lucas mashed a three run blast in the third to open up a 7-0 advantage for starter Brent Stukes.

High Point began to chip away in the top of the 4th with a pair of solo shots from Johnson and Oh. The Panthers would muster 7 runs, which as stated earlier is about their average per game, with all of them coming via the long ball. Clark and Oh added two run homers while Jace Kohler hit a solo bomb. But, aside from the homers, the Upstate pitching, backed by the early offensive output, was able to get the job done.

Stukes tossed 5 innings of 4-run ball with 6 hits, no walks, and three strikeouts, which earned him the win – his third of the season. Cayden Mackey followed with 2 and two-thirds with 3 earned on three hits with a walk and 2 retired on strikes. After Reece Hemmerling failed to retire either of the 2 batters he faced with a walk and a hit, Max Kaplan came in to finish off the game, going the last inning and a third scoreless with a hit and three K’s.

The Upstate bats were not finished yet, though. Tyler Lang clubbed two homers – a solo one in the 4th and the other for 2 RBIs in the 6th, and Trey Bentley singled home 2 with a little help from a throwing error on the HPU left fielder, making for the final 12-7 tally to secure the series win for the Spartans.

Sunday’s finale had a change ahead of it – scheduled starter Max Bianchini was scratched, replaced by his fellow Max (Eichenberger). The Panthers drew first blood by cashing in a leadoff walk to Ponce, who later stole 2nd and came around to score on back to back groundouts up the middle. A ground ball to first got Max out of the inning, trailing 1-0.

“Ike” settled in from that point on, striking out 5 of the next 6 High Point hitters, later to be rewarded by his offense in the bottom of the 2nd. With one out, Wylie Waters drew a walk to start the rally. Preston Lucas followed with a single and Kenan Bowman then delivered his first home run since transferring in from East Carolina to give USC Upstate the lead. Gage Griggs followed with a single, but was later caught at 2nd on a delayed steal before Armsey grounded to 2nd to end the inning.

The Panthers finally got something going against Eichenberger in the 4th, giving up his first hit of the game in long and loud fashion. Landen Johnson led off with a towering fly ball to right for a solo homer. The next man up, Lane Allen, lined a single into center and later stole 2nd. After a walk to Seojun Oh, Kane Sweeney pulled the string and called on Hemmerling for his 2nd appearance in as many days. Unlike his short outing on Saturday, he did get an out – three big ones as a matter of fact. Hemmerling got McCarter to line hard to third, doubling off the lead runner at 2nd. He then struck out Jace Kohler on three pitches to leave a man on 1st and preserve a 3-2 lead.

Hemmerling’s attempt at a 2nd inning did not go as planned. He plunked leadoff hitter E’Mar Fleming, who would be erased shortly thereafter on a fielders choice at 2nd off the bat of Frank Kelly. Willie Ponce followed with a single to put men on the corners for Jack Clark, who came through with a game-tying single to right, prompting a call to the bullpen for Andrew Kummer, who after a stolen base, left both runners in scoring position with a pop up to short and a deep fly ball to left that narrowly missed leaving the yard.

Upstate reclaimed the lead in the ensuing half inning when Armsey picked up the Spartans’ first hit since the bottom of the 2nd with a single that was followed by a hustle double to left from Lang. A wild pitch scored Armsey and moved Lang up 90 feet to set up a sacrifice fly to the deepest part of the yard from Johnny Sweeney, making it 5-3 in favor of the Spartans heading to the 6th.

That lead did not last long as Kummer walked Oh and beaned Jake McCarter to start the frame. Kane Sweeney went to the pen to bring in Wyatt Land, who failed to get an out. Jace Kohler then pulled High Point back within a run with an RBI single. After issuing a base on balls to E’Mar Fleming to load the bases, Sweeney went deeper into the bullpen, calling on Max Kaplan to clean up the mess. He got Frank Kelly to ground up the middle, forcing Fleming at 2nd while the tying run came across. Kelly was later caught between 1st and 2nd, picked off for the 2nd out before Willie Ponce was rung up to send the game to the home half tied at 5.

That deadlock was broken in the top of the 8th when USC Upstate brought on Nathan Hook to pitch in relief of Kaplan. After a quick strikeout, Hook saw things unravel a bit after a bunt single from Kohler and a walk to Fleming. With 2 out, Ponce smoked a two run triple to the right field corner to give the Panthers their first lead since the 2nd inning, taking a 7-5 edge to the bottom of the frame.

The story over the last four innings of the game was the work out of the bullpen from Noah Zimmerman from High Point. He allowed just two base runners in that stretch, striking out 5 with just a walk. Upstate got 1 runner in scoring position against him after a dropped third strike allowed Gage Griggs to reach. He would take 2nd on a passed ball, but was left there as Henry Zenor grounded to 1st to end the series.

After a 3-1 week, USC Upstate moves to 10-11 on the season and now sit at 2-1 in Big South Conference play after a huge series win. The Spartans will hit the road for a 5-game trip starting Wednesday at UNC Charlotte with a 6:00 first pitch. Over the weekend, they’ll go up to Farmville, VA for a three game set with Longwood starting Friday at 6 PM, continuing Saturday at 3, and concluding Sunday at 1. That will be followed by a midweek at Tennessee Tuesday at 6 before returning home to face UNC Asheville in the I-26 rivalry series the following weekend.