University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
11-14, 1-4
USC Upstate
17-11, 6-2
Early Lead Slips Away; Bulldogs Drop Game Two of Series at USC Upstate
03.29.2024 | Baseball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Asheville baseball team scored five runs in the top of the first inning, but the early lead was not enough, as Asheville fell 10-9 Friday evening against the USC Upstate Spartans.
The first five batters in Asheville's lineup all reached base to open Friday's contest. Ty Kaufman walked, Robbie Burnett singled down the left field line, and Dylan Bacot drove Kaufman and Burnett in with a 3-run home run to left center. Corbin Lanowitz followed with a single and scored on a 2-run home run from Cameron Johnson.
The Bulldogs held a 5-0 lead over the next two innings until the Spartans got on the board in the third, following a 3-run home run. In the top of the fourth, Asheville extended its lead back out, following an RBI single from Kaufman to score Ben Hemphill and a sacrifice fly from Burnett to score Brock Mercado (7-3).
Upstate responded with a 2-run homer in the fifth and a solo shot in the sixth to bring the score within one. Hemphill extended Asheville's lead back out to two with a hit to left field, scoring Bacot, but an error in the bottom of the seventh by the Bulldogs allowed two Spartans to cross home plate to even the score 8-8.
Burnett put Asheville back out in front with a solo shot in the eighth, but the Spartans rallied in the bottom of the ninth to pull off the comeback victory. Both runs in the ninth from Upstate were unearned.
Asheville outhit Upstate 13-8, but the Spartans took advantage of five Bulldog errors and eight walks from Asheville's pitching staff. Asheville's first eight batters all recorded hits on the day, with Bacot leading the way with three and recording a team-high three RBIs. Burnett, Michael Groves, and Hemphill recorded two hits apiece, with Burnett finishing with two RBIs and Hemphill with one. Kaufman, Lanowitz, Johnson, and Mercado each grabbed a hit. Kaufman had one RBI, and Johnson had two.
Cole Schiff got the start, going 4.1 innings, giving up four hits, five runs (all earned), walking six and striking out five. Justin Needles and Jacob Strmiska made relief appearances, with Strmiska suffering the loss.
Up next, Asheville will look to avoid the sweep as they take on Upstate in game three of the Ingles I-26 Rivalry tomorrow, Saturday, March 30, at 2 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: ELLINGWORTH, Cooper (4-1)
L: Strmiska, Jacob (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Hemphill, Ben 1
HR: Burnett, Robbie 1 ; Bacot, Dylan 1 ; Johnson, Cameron 1
RBI: Kaufman, Ty 1 ; Burnett, Robbie 2 ; Bacot, Dylan 3 ; Johnson, Cameron 2 ; Hemphill, Ben 1
SH: Gross, Matthew 1
SF: Burnett, Robbie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kaufman, Ty 1 ; Burnett, Robbie 2 ; Bacot, Dylan 2 ; Lanowitz, Corbin 1 ; Johnson, Cameron 1 ; Hemphill, Ben 1 ; Mercado, Brock 1
SB: Kaufman, Ty 1
CS: Bacot, Dylan 1
HBP: Hemphill, Ben 1
Batting:
2B: RINEHART, Jace 1
HR: SHERROD, Grant 2 ; SULLIVAN, Noah 1
RBI: GERNON, Daniel 2 ; SHERROD, Grant 4 ; RINEHART, Jace 1 ; SULLIVAN, Noah 2
SH: PEREIRA, David 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GERNON, Daniel 1 ; HAMILTON, Troy 1 ; SHERROD, Grant 2 ; RINEHART, Jace 1 ; SULLIVAN, Noah 1 ; PEREIRA, David 2 ; ZOHNER, Cooper 1 ; CULLISON, Easton 1
SB: GERNON, Daniel 1 ; HAMILTON, Troy 1
HBP: HAMILTON, Troy 1 ; RINEHART, Jace 1 ; ZOHNER, Cooper 1 ; SHEAHAN, Vance 1
