SAVANNAH, Ga. – USC Upstate extended its
win streak over Armstrong Atlantic to five, sweeping a Peach Belt
Conference doubleheader from the Pirates on Saturday at Pirate
Field, 8-7 and 7-1.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4-1-06
College Baseball: USC Upstate 8-7, No. 17 AASU 7-1
SAVANNAH, Ga. – USC Upstate extended its
win streak over Armstrong Atlantic to five, sweeping a Peach Belt
Conference doubleheader from the Pirates on Saturday at Pirate
Field, 8-7 and 7-1.
The Spartans (21-15, 6-8 PBC) took a 5-2 lead in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader with a four-run third inning, highlighted by Bret Hansen’s two-run single, and a single run in the fifth inning that erased AASU’s brief 2-0 lead on Daniel Heflin’s first-inning two-run home run. The Pirates (25-6-1, 6-5 PBC) would again go to the longball to claim the lead as Jared Combs’ three-run home run in the fifth inning gave AASU a short-lived 7-5 advantage. USC Upstate scored three times in the top of the sixth with Hansen’s sacrifice fly providing the winning margin as the Spartans took the game, 8-7. Closer Bradley Blanks hurled three innings of hitless relief for USC Upstate, earning his ninth save of the year and securing the win for Jorda Young (1-2), who pitched 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief. Jacob Roberson (3-2) took the loss, giving up three runs and five hits in 2 2/3 innings for Armstrong Atlantic.
In the second game, a costly error with two outs in fourth inning opened the floodgates to a 7-run inning, giving the Spartans the relatively easy 7-1 win. With the bases loaded, first baseman Miguel Donate couldn’t handle the hit off the bat of John Caddell, and immediately the Spartans took advantage, getting a two-RBI single from Brad Wingo and a two-RBI double from Hansen. The offense was more than enough for Scott Eckard (2-3), who hurled the three-hit complete game, striking out 10 to take the win. Chase Leatherwood (4-2) gave up all seven runs – only one earned – in 3 2/3 innings to take the loss.
Hansen went 3-for-8 with five RBI in the doubleheader to lead the Spartans at the plate, while Mar Noble and Jared Combs each collected three hits for the Pirates.
The two teams wrap up their Peach Belt series
with a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
- Pirates -