By USC Upstate Athletics
Published: May. 24, 2024 at 5:05 PM EDT
HIGH POINT, N.C. (USC Upstate Athletics) –Facing elimination as play at the 2024 Big South Baseball Championship continued Friday, USC Upstate baseball displayed its toughness and never-say-die attitude as it staved off elimination as it outlasted No. 1 seed Presbyterian with three runs in the final two innings of a 9-8 victory.
Battling back from last night’s tournament opener, Upstate jumped out and took control of the momentum with a three-run first before building its lead to 5-1 exiting the first third of the game. The Spartans grew a 6-3 lead heading to the stretch before Presbyterian punched back with a grand slam to take the lead for the first time.
Upstate answered with a run in the eighth to tie the game before the Blue Hose retook the lead in the home half. The Spartans, however, were not fazed, battling back to push two runs across in the ninth with redshirt senior first basemanGrant Sherroddriving home the equalizer before freshman catcherTyler Langwore an HBP with the base loaded, sending home the go-ahead tally.
Junior right-handed pitcherTrent Hodgdon—pitching for the second time in as many games for Upstate—shut the door on the victory, earning the win as he allowed one hit over 2.0 innings with two strikeouts.
At the plate, redshirt junior right-fielderKoby Kropf, redshirt senior shortstopTroy Hamilton, and freshman third basemanVance Sheahaneach recorded a multi-hit and multi-RBI game, driving home two RBI apiece. Hamilton and Sheahan paced the offense with three hits apiece while Kropf and redshirt sophom*ore designated hitterNoah Sullivantallied two hits each.
Game Information
Score:#3 USC Upstate 9; #1 Presbyterian 8
Records:USC Upstate (35-23; 16-8 Big South); Presbyterian (29-27; 18-6 Big South)
Location:Truist Point | High Point, N.C.
How It Happened
- T1: Following up a pair of one-out baserunners,Koby Kropfkickstarted the day’s scoring as he doubled off the base of the wall in center, advancing to third as the throw to the plate got away. He’d come home to score on a sac fly fromTroy Hamilton, contorting his body around the tag to add a third tally for the Spartans.
- B1: Seeing the first two batters reach via HBP, Presbyterian used back-to-back fly to plate its first run, coming on a sac fly from Noah Lebron.
- T3: Coming with a pair of two-out baserunners, Upstate got its run back plus one as it scored two in the frame behind RBI singles fromTroy HamiltonandVance Sheahan.
- B4: Answering the Spartans’ latest tallies, the Blue Hose used consecutive RBI groundouts to second from Evan Cuervo and Ryan Becker to trim the Upstate lead.
- T6: Getting a run back for the Spartans, Sheahan delivered again, picking up his second RBI behind his second home run of the year—a no-doubt shot to left-center.
- B7: Taking the lead for the first time in the game, Presbyterian’s Brody Fahr launched a grand slam to right to build a 7-6 Blue Hose lead.
- T8: Following a two-out single and HBP from Sheahan andTyler Lang, respectively,Jake Armseytied the game as he split the right-center gap with a double.
- B8: Following a leadoff, ground-rule double, Jack Gorman pushed the Blue Hose back on top with an RBI single into right.
- T9: Fighting its way back, Upstate plated two in the ninth to regain the lead asGrant Sherroddrove home the tying run with an RBI single back through the middle. Loading the bases following Sherrod’s single, Lang drew his an HBP with the bases loaded to push across the go-ahead tally.
Notable
- Picking up his 77thRBI of the season as he tied the game in the ninth inning,Grant Sherrodtied Mike Cassala (1986) of Armstrong State for the eighth-most single-season RBI in Big South Conference history. His total ranks as the most by a Big South player since 2010 when Jose Iglesias of Coastal Carolina drove home 80.
- Recording three hits, including his second home run of the season,Vance Sheahanpushed his team-long reached base streak to 31 games, the longest by a Spartan sinceNoah Sullivancrafted a 34-game streak in 2022. Sheahan’s 11-game hitting streak also stands as the longest active streak by a Spartan.
- Picking up the win following 2.0 scoreless innings of relief,Trent Hodgdonearned his first career win as a Spartan.
Up Next for the Spartans
Advancing in the 2024 Big South Baseball Championship, Upstate returns to action Friday evening against either No. 2 seed High Point or No. 4 seed Charleston Southern. The game constitutes an elimination game in the double-elimination tournament.
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