ETSU falls to USC Upstate in midweek doubleheader

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (March 6, 2019) – The ETSU Bucs softball team dropped a pair of games to USC Upstate on Wednesday afternoon in Spartanburg, S.C. With the losses, the Bucs fall to 10-7-2 on the season and 3-4-1 in true road contests. 

Game 1: USC Upstate 8, ETSU 0
The Spartans took control of the first game early on, scoring five runs in the first two innings for the 5-0 advantage. USC Upstate added three runs in the fourth inning, forcing the run rule in effect. 

The Bucs were unable to muster a hit in the opening game, yet alone unable to put a runner on base to trim into the Spartans’ lead.

MacKenzie Dyson (Hanahan, S.C.) received the start for the Bucs in the circle, yielding eight runs in four innings of work on seven hits.

Pitchers of Record
» Win: Christina Biggerstaff (9-0)
» Loss: MacKenzie Dyson (3-2) 

Stat of the Game
The Bucs were held hitless in the loss against the Spartans for the first time this season.

Notables
» For the first time since April 26, 2017 against Morehead State, the Bucs were held without a hit.
» Today marked the first time since March 24, 2015 against Tennessee that an ETSU opponent threw a perfect game against the Blue & Gold.
» The Bucs fall to 4-18 all-time against the Spartans following the eight-run loss. 

Game 2: USC Upstate 3, ETSU 0
For the second consecutive game, the Bucs’ high-powered offense was stymied by the NCAA-leading pitching staff. However, ETSU put the perfect game behind it with a leadoff single by Lauren Lee (Cleveland, Tenn.) to open up the contest. The Bucs tallied two hits in game two, both off the bat of Lee.

The Spartans scored all three runs in the second inning, blasting two home runs in the process. The three-run cushion was all that USC Upstate needed as ETSU was unable to claw into the deficit.

Pitchers of Record
» Win: Erin Hill (5-3)
» Loss: Kelly Schmidt (Norcross, Ga.) (4-4) 

Stat of the Game
For the second consecutive game against the Spartans, the Bucs were held scoreless. However, ETSU successfully laced two base hits to break up a potential perfect game. 
 
Notables
» Lee finished the game 2-of-3 at the dish for the only offensive production for the Bucs.
» ETSU has now dropped three consecutive games with the doubleheader loss today.
» The Bucs are now 4-19 all-time against the Spartans, having fallen in 10 consecutive outings against USC Upstate.

Record Update
» ETSU: 10-7-2
» USC Upstate: 15-3

Up Next
ETSU will kick off its home opener on Friday as the Bucs host the 2019 Buccaneer Classic beginning on March 8 at 11 a.m. The Bucs will host Rutgers, Tennessee Tech, Siena and Evansville in a span of four days. ETSU’s home opener will be against Rutgers on March 8 at 1:15 p.m. at Betty Basler Field. 

Keeping up with the Bucs
For complete information on ETSU softball, follow the program via social media on Twitter (@ETSUSoftball), Instagram (@etsubucssoftball) and Facebook (@BucSoftball). For more information on Buccaneer softball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the softball link.