April 14, 2011

Upstate, Lipscomb Set for Weekend Series

Complete release in pdf format

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After dropping a pair of mid-week games to ETSU and No. 25 Charlotte, the USC Upstate baseball team will return to league play as they hit the road for a three-game set at Lipscomb beginning on with a doubleheader on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. (CT).  The two teams will wrap-up the series on Sunday with a single game slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. (CT).

The Spartans and Bisons did not meet a season ago due to a one-year change in A-Sun scheduling.  Upstate claimed the series in Spartanburg (2-1; Apr. 18-19, 2009), while Lipscomb defended its home field with a sweep in 2009 (Mar. 13-14).

First Pitch…

Luke Weber belted a two-run homer, his third of 2011, over the left field wall on Wednesday night at Charlotte...Blake Green finished 3-for-5 against the 49ers, while Branden Millhouse collected two hits and two RBI.

Dillon Way was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate on Tuesday vs. ETSU... The junior also drew a walk and scored a run.

Trey Richardson delivered the first walk-off homerun in the D-I era on Saturday vs. Belmont (DH Game 1)... Richardson sent a 1-2 pitch from Bruin reliever Garrett Fanchier over the wall in left field in the bottom of the 10th to lift Upstate to the 6-5 win.

• Spartan reliever Chris Knauff picked up his third win of the season after pitching the final four frames against Belmont on Saturday... Knauff allowed two runs on two hits and walked one to improve to 3-1.

• Five different Spartans tallied two hits against Gardner-Webb on Apr. 6 (Trey Richardson, 2-4; Austin Liput, 2-5; Luke Weber, 2-5; Tyler Cook 2-4; Tyler Miller 2-4).

Anthony Vacca belted his first career homer on April 6.. On a 2-1 count, the Spartan rookie sent GWU starter Erik Hellingstadt's pitch over the wall in right field to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the 2nd inning.

• Upstate picked up its first ever win over a nationally-ranked opponent (D-I era) with a 6-0 shutout of No. 20 Stetson on April 1.

• Spartan starter Scott DeCecco pitched seven innings vs. Stetson (Apr. 1) scattering six hits and three walks over the course of his 117-pitch outing... DeCecco, who struck four Hatter batters, was honored as the Atlantic Sun's Pitcher of the Week.

• In the series opener vs. Stetson (Apr. 1), Spartan rookie Luke Weber was a perfect 4-for-4 at the dish with one RBI and one run.

The Scouting Report – Lipscomb

• Lipscomb enters the weekend series with a 12-22 overall record and sit 3-9 in league play... Since a four-game win streak from Mar. 26 to Apr. 1, the Bisons have dropped seven of their last eight games... During the mid-week, the Bisons downed Alabama A&M, 13-3, and fell on the road at UT-Martin, 7-4... Last weekend, Lipscomb dropped all three games to ETSU by scores of 2-1, 6-2 and 8-3.

• M.L. Williams leads the team in hits (50), doubles (12), runs (24) and stolen bases (12)... He is second on the team in RBI (18), homeruns (2) and triples (1).

• Saturday (Game 2) starter, Connor Sinclair ranks third in the A-Sun with a 2.34 ERA.

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