Feb. 17, 2008

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

USC Upstate got solid pitching and timely hitting to record a doubleheader sweep of West Virginia Wesleyan in non-conference softball action Sunday afternoon at Cyrill Stadium. The Spartans pulled off a 6-2 win in game one and a 9-3 victory in game two.

Upstate remained undefeated on the year and improved to 4-0. West Virginia Wesleyan fell to 6-3. Upstate plays host to Winthrop and former Spartans head coach Mark Cooke Wednesday afternoon at 2:00.

"It was good to see Brittany throw well today," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "We needed people to come through offensively, and it was a good sight to see them deliver today. For as many freshmen as we are playing in these early games, hopefully they have gotten the experience that will benefit them down the road."

Morgan Childers was again strong in the circle for the Spartans Sunday. She tossed a complete game in game one of the doubleheader, finishing with six strikeouts. Only one of the runs allowed was earned.

West Virginia Wesleyan struck first in the game. The Bobcats plated one run in the third inning when Emily Nieman doubled to right center to drive in Trisha Thurston. Upstate quickly answered, scoring four runs in the bottom of the frame. Shay Slater doubled to drive in two runs, Heidi Gibbs drove in a run and later scored on a throwing error as Upstate opened a 4-1 lead.

West Virginia Wesleyan cut the lead to 4-2 with a run in the fifth inning on Desiree Sibera's solo home run. Upstate, though, put the game out of reach with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Slater scored when Vanesa Flores reached on an error and Tiffany Pitcher drew a bases loaded walk to give the Spartans a 6-2 lead.

Slater and Gibbs each finished the game with a pair of hits and runs. Slater also drove in a pair of runs. Nieman had two hits for West Virginia Wesleyan. Childers improved to 3-0 on the year with the win. Stephanie Wheeler took the loss for the Bobcats.

West Virginia Wesleyan again struck first in the second game. Nieman doubled to drive in a run in the top of the first. Again, though, Upstate answered immediately when Slater walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first and Katie Adams scored on Flores' fielder's choice to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead.

The Bobcats tied the game at 2-2 in the second inning when Stephanie St. Peter drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Upstate starter Brittany Rice settled into the game and did not allow the Bobcats to score in the next three innings. Her solid pitching allowed the Spartans to deliver on the offensive side of things.

Upstate took a 4-2 lead with two runs in the third inning. Flores singled to drive in Gibbs and Slater scored on an RBI single by Courtney Feldon. The Spartans increased the lead to 6-2 with a pair of runs in the fourth. Adams scored on an illegal pitch call and Gibbs scored on Amber Patterson's RBI ground out. The Spartans put the game out of reach with three runs on the sixth inning. Brasil scored from third on a throwing error and Patterson collected an RBI single and later scored to end the scoring.

Rice (1-0) picked up her first win of the season. She tossed a complete game, scattering five hits and allowing just two earned runs. Kailey Kubesch took the loss for West Virginia Wesleyan.

Brasil finished the second game with three hits and two runs. Slater was 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, while Adams and Gibbs each collected two hits and Flores and Patterson each collected a pair of RBIs.