SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Charleston Southern and USC Upstate split their doubleheader on Saturday to conclude their weekend series. The Spartans took game one yesterday to help them claim the series victory.
"Three games in 30 hours are demanding on both teams, so, I tip my cap to all of the players for their effort and competitiveness," said Head Coach
Marc MacMillan. "They stuck it to us in the first game today. The best way to respond to it is to have some resiliency and fight to win the next one. Massey is an experienced pitcher, and I thought he did a terrific job. We got two big swings from Henry and Long then just fought to get another run across the plate. Then what can I say about Parks? He showed the poise and confidence you want to see to close out the game."
GAME ONE
USC Upstate cruised to a victory in game one of the day. The final score for the game was 13-0. The Bucs had
Nick Timpanelli start and throw 5.0 innings in it with
Brett Gastman pitching the final 3.0 frames.
Charleston Southern managed just three hits in the game with them coming from
Cade Conway,
BJ Banyon and
JJ Rivera. Banyon,
Peter Werth and
Alex Urlaub each drew a walk as well.
GAME TWO
The second game on Saturday got off to a much better start for the Buccaneers as they were able to prevail in it by a final score of 3-2 with the pitching staff having one of their best outings of the year against a very talented Spartan offense. Charleston Southern was the first team to get on the board with solo home runs from
Hayden Henry in the third inning and then
Evann Long in the fifth inning to put them ahead at 2-0.
USC Upstate was able to rally and tie the game up at two apiece in the 6
th inning off a pair of RBI singles.
Charleston Southern did not back down, using an error from the Spartans' infield to get
Dakota Miller on base in the 8
th inning. He then stole second base and moved over to third on a wild pitch. He scored the go-ahead run as Urlaub reached on another infield error by the Spartans, putting CSU up 3-2.
Parks Ledwell came on as the final reliever for the Buccaneers and he shut down the Spartans offense and helped CSU claim the victory. He turned his game up an extra level once CSU took the lead, making sure he did his part to claim the victory and keep the team in control of their own destiny for the Big South Championships in May.
Sam Massey had the start for Charleston Southern and turned in another dazzling performance on the mound to make it for back-to-back outings. He threw 5.1 innings and allowed two earned runs to go with just one walk issued.
Dylan Matsuoka recorded an out while Ledwell came on to finish out the game by throwing the final 3.1. He did not allow a single hit, just one walk and struck out four batters. This continues his quality play in the month of April as he holds just a 1.00 ERA in nine innings pitched.
At the plate for the Buccaneers, they finished with four hits. These were done by Miller, Long,
Sam Low and Henry. The Bucs also were able to draw four walks with them being from
JJ Rivera, Conway, Urlaub and Low.
UP NEXT
Charleston Southern will play their final game of the month on Tuesday as they will make the trip to UNC Wilmington for the first of two midweek matchups with the Seahawks. The game has a first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. with the action available live on FloSports. Following the game, CSU will enjoy a week and a half break from games as they will be taking their final exams.
Looking around the league, USC Upstate continues to hold the #1 spot in the league standings with a record of 12-3 now. Presbyterian and High Point sit in a tie for #2 with each team at 10-4. They are currently in a weekend series that the Panthers have taken the first two games in. Charleston Southern is a game behind those two teams at 9-6 while the Bucs are two games clear of the #5 team UNC Asheville at 7-8.
