SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Charleston Southern softball was unable to carry the momentum from Friday's big win into Saturday, as league leader (RV) USC Upstate claimed a pair of six-inning victories to earn the series win. The Spartans won game one 10-2 and then picked up a 9-0 triumph in the series finale.

GAME 1 | USC UPSTATE 10, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 2 (6 INNINGS)
The homestanding Spartans jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and never looked back, using multiple runs in four innings to end the game after six frames. Celeste Delorenzo ignited the first inning's three runs by hitting a single to right field. Tiffany Domingue followed with a triple to the same part of the park, plating the first run. The next batter, Summer Johnson, then hit a two-run homer to build the 3-0 cushion.

It looked like the Bucs would counter in their next two turns at the plate as Lilly Bishop led off the second by being hit by a pitch. After Annah Junge – the starter in the circle – entered as a pinch runner, she was moved over to second on a SeaEnna Satcher infield single. A fielder's choice by Madison Koger sent Satcher to second but Junge was forced out as the lead runner at third base. A sacrifice bunt via the bat of Rhiana Hubbard advanced Satcher and Koger both into scoring position but neither would move an additional 60 feet.

In the third, Charleston Southern (19-23, 7-10 Big South) had another offensive spark with a leadoff single by Weslin Jones. Another fielder's choice, this time by Gracie Prince, resulted in Jones being forced out at second. Prince reached second on an Ashley Meckley single and both runners advanced to the next base on a Bishop fielder's choice with two outs, loading the bases. All three would be left stranded, keeping CSU off the board.

USC Upstate (40-4, 14-3 Big South) took advantage in its half of the third. Delorenzo reached on a single with Domingue following with a two-run round tripper, extending the margin to 5-0. The Buccaneers managed their first run in the top of the fourth. Koger singled to lead off the frame and advanced to second on a wild pitch. She then moved to third after an out and then Ashlyn Cribb brought her in to score, breaking up the shutout, on a single to left field.

The Bucs plated their next run in the top of the fifth. Meckley walked and moved to second on an infield single by Bishop. Meckley then put runners on the corners as she stole third base and then scored as a play in the infield off the bat of Satcher brought CSU to within 5-2 headed to the bottom of the fifth.

The Spartans countered by tallying three runs in their next turn up to the plate. Delorenzo was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a Domingue bunt single and then both advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Johnson followed with her second home run of the contest, a three-run shot, chasing Junge from the circle after it built an 8-2 edge.

USC Upstate didn't let up offensively in the bottom of the sixth. Madison Lanoux singled, then two batters later, Alanna Deal ended the game with a walk-off two-run homer.

Koger was the only Buccaneers player with a multi-hit contest, although, Meckley, Bishop, Satcher, Cribb and Jones each had one. Junge struck out four, allowed eight runs and seven hits in 4.2 innings before Baylee Eaton finished it in the circle by pitching the last 0.2 innings in relief.

GAME 2 | USC UPSTATE 9, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 0
The Spartans continued their momentum into the series finale with Hannah Houge limiting Charleston Southern (19-24, 7-11 Big South) to two hits. Koger ripped the first Bucs hit, a single in the top of the second, but she was left on base. CSU's next hit wasn't until its time up in the fifth with Hubbard singling up the middle.

USC Upstate (41-4, 15-3 Big South) got on the board as Johnson connected on her third home run of the day, leading off the bottom of the second. She was then a catalyst in a four-run third frame, bringing in the stanza's first run after Delorenzo and Domingue singled back-to-back with one out. She followed with a third-straight Spartans single, allowing Delorenzo to score. Lanoux followed with a double, bringing in the next-two base runners, growing the margin to 4-0. A sacrifice fly by Peyton Darnell plated Lanoux, as the advantage swelled to 5-0.

CSU's best chance at cutting into the deficit. Hubbard's single eventually landed her at second following a base on balls to Jones but neither one advanced beyond those two bases. USC Upstate added its sixth run in the bottom of the fifth. Consecutive doubles by Casey Goguts and Deal scratched the other run across against reliever Maggie Carpenter, who entered at the start of the bottom of the fourth frame for starter Blake Holtorf.

In the sixth, the Spartans ended the contest in three at-bats. Sarah Prince drew a leadoff walk and scooted over to third as a Delorenzo single and throwing error by the Bucs defense put the two runners in scoring position. Domingue then homered, bringing all three runners to the plate, in walk-off fashion.

Koger and Hubbard had the lone Buccaneers hits against Hogue, who went the distance in the circle. Holtorf was tagged with the loss, although she pitched only three innings, while Carpenter was the hurler for the last two.

UP NEXT
Charleston Southern returns to the Lowcountry for its next-five games, starting with a Wednesday doubleheader in Mt. Pleasant at College of Charleston with first pitch set for 5 p.m. at Patriots Point. The Buccaneers will then honor their seniors throughout the weekend, next week, when the home schedule comes to a close with a Big South series against North Carolina A&T, Friday and Saturday.