Columbia
USC Upstate
Baseball Completes Series Sweep of USC Upstate with 6-3 Triumph
3/22/2015 2:20:00 PM | Baseball
BOX SCORE (.html) | BOX SCORE (.pdf)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Columbia baseball team completed a four-game sweep of USC Upstate with a 6-4 win on Sunday. The Lions wrap up their spring break trip and head north with a 7-9 overall record.
Columbia compiled 10 hits and drew seven walks against Spartan (8-15) pitching. Jordan Serena finished 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI in the victory.
Willis Robbins (1-0) earned the win after tossing 2.2 innings of one-run, one-hit ball of relief. Matt Robinson recorded the final two outs to pick up his third save of the series and season.
Columbia scored in one of the most unorthodox ways you will ever see in the first inning. Shane Adams poked a single to center and Serena chopped one to the hole at short to leg out an infield single. Adams headed to third on the throw over and beat the tag, but none of the Spartans called for time. With the catcher, third baseman and pitcher all in the third base area, no one was covering the plate and Adams darted for home to score an uncontested run.
USC Upstate evened things up after a leadoff double and long fly ball to move the runner to third. Another deep fly out brought in Charlie Carpenter to make it 1-1.
In the top of the fourth, the Lions went back in front without hitting a ball out of the infield. Two walks and a single to shortstop by Logan Boyher loaded the bases with one out and Adams followed with a well-placed grounder to the shortstop, who could not make a play anywhere.
Serena gave Columbia some breathing room with a two-run knock to left, extending the lead to 4-1.
The Spartans were inches away from taking the lead in the bottom of the fifth when a three-run homer by James Fowlkes was overturned and ruled foul by the field umpire. Earlier in the inning, the Spartans put the first two runners on and laid down a sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch brought USC Upstate within two before the controversial call.
Free passes and stolen bases continued to hurt the Spartans in the sixth when Richie Lacell allowed Savage and Adams to get on and steal bases to give Joey Falcone a chance to add to the lead. Falcone muscled an inside pitch to short left-center that fell in for a two-run single, pushing the margin to 6-2.
A leadoff double a groundout and hit batter gave the Spartans runners on first and third with one out. The Lions conceded a run trying to turn a double play, but did not allow USC Upstate to come any closer.
The Lions head back north and will take on Army on Wednedsay, March 25, for a single game at 3:30 p.m.at West Point.
