April 12, 2008

Final Stats

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Freshman Blake Green (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) and sophomore Brian Dempsey (Montverde, Fla./East Ridge) each had four hits during Saturday's doubleheader against Kennesaw State to lead the USC Upstate baseball team, but the Owls' offense heated up to notch 53 hits on the day, as they swept the Spartans, 11-4 and 32-3, at Harley Park in Atlantic Sun Conference action. USC Upstate is now 18-19 overall and 11-10 in the Atlantic Sun.

Chad Jenkins (2-3) pitched eight innings, allowing four runs and striking out seven in the first game of the doubleheader to lead Kennesaw State (19-17 overall, 11-7 A-Sun) to an 11-4 win. Meanwhile, the KSU offense pounded out 18 hits led by three hits each from Jacob Robbins, Ric Bishop and Jay Morrow.

The Owls started off hot, notching four hits and two runs in the first inning. They added a single tally in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead, as Curtis Van Wyck and Tyler Stubblefield each doubled in the inning to score the run. Upstate got on the board in the bottom of the inning, as senior Casey Rivers (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) singled up the middle to lead off. After a fielder's choice, Green got a fortuitous hop to get a ball through the left side and a wild pitch brought in a run.

However, a homer to dead center field from Jay Morrow and another three runs in the sixth inning helped Kennesaw State take a 7-1 lead. The Spartans answered back with three of their own runs in the bottom of the sixth, as senior Andrew Runion (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) singled up the middle to lead off and Rivers used a hit-and-run to deliver a double down the right field line. A sac fly scored Runion and an infield single from Green helped Rivers cross the plate. A double to right field from freshman A.J. Clark (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Springs Christian) helped bring in Green.

Small ball helped Kennesaw score three more runs in the seventh inning, as they used two bunt singles and two sac bunts to score three more runs. Another run crossed in the eighth inning as Kennesaw used two hits to help them to the 11-4 margin.

Runion led the Spartans, going 3-for-5 with a run and both Rivers and Green added two hits for Upstate. Rivers scored a run and Green had both an RBI and a run.

Robbins went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, Bishop went 3-for-6 with three RBIs and Morrow went 3-for-5 with a run and three RBIs.

Sophomore Matt Branham (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) (4-3) took the loss for the Spartans, going five innings, allowing nine hits and four runs. He struck out five.

In the second game, Kennesaw used three seven-run innings en route to a 32-3 win to sweep the doubleheader. The loss was the largest margin in school history and the Owls' 35 hits and 32 runs were also opponent single-game records.

Upstate posted single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings. Junior Eric Guillen (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks) singled to right, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a double to left field from junior Tommy Shovlin (Meritt Island, Fla./Daytona Beach C.C.) for the first run in the fifth. In the sixth, senior Mike Colecchi (Oxford, Mass./Quinsigmond C.C.) singled up the middle with two outs, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a single up the middle by Guillen. In the eighth, Dempsey led off with a double and scored on a single from sophomore Jacob Breen (Marietta, Ga./Birmingham Southern).

Both Jacob Robbins and Martin Baker posted six hits to lead the Owls. Robbins added five runs and an RBI and Baker added four runs and four RBIs. Jay Morrow went 4-for-4 with four runs and three RBIs, Jace Whitmer went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs, Curtis Van Wyck went 5-for-7 with three runs and five RBIs and Tyler Stubblefield added two runs, two hits, five RBIs and a grand slam.

Dempsey led Upstate with three hits and a run and Shovlin, Green and Guillen each added two hits. Guillen added a run and an RBI.

Senior Scott Eckard (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary) (2-5) was tagged with the loss, allowing eight hits and seven earned runs in one-plus innings.

Justin Freeman (4-3) earned the win for the Owls, pitching five innings, allowing six hits.

Upstate gets back on the diamond on Tuesday when it travels to Columbia, S.C., for a 7 p.m. game against No. 14 South Carolina at Sarge Frye Field. The Gamecocks are the first ranked team at the Division I level that the Spartans will ever face.