USC Upstate falls to Kentucky 7-3 in NCAA Regional; Spartans close season 36-25

31-05-2025

CLEMSON, S.C. (USC Upstate SID) – Staying true to its identity until the final out, USC Upstate baseball showed its blue-collar, hard-working nature as it fought to stay alive in the program's first-ever NCAA Regional in an elimination game against (RV) Kentucky. The Spartans battled back from an early deficit to tie the game before seeing the Wildcats eventually pull away in a 7-3 decision Saturday afternoon. Not letting a three-run, first-inning deficit deter it, Upstate provided its answer in the fourth frame, using a similar recipe to how Clemson erased a deficit Friday evening. Stepping to the plate with the bases loaded, junior catcher Preston Lucas found the grass in the left-center gap, driving home a pair with his 19th double of the year, drawing the Spartans within a run. Junior second baseman Gage Griggs chased the two-bagger with a sac fly to center, knotting the game at three-all. Setting the Spartans up for their comeback, sophomore left-handed pitcher Chris Torres turned in 5.0 innings of work, settling in to hold the Wildcats off the board from the second to the fifth. He finished with three strikeouts, helping Upstate to hit the 500-strikeout mark on the year with sophomore right-hander Darin Kuskie and redshirt sophomore righty Max Bianchini racking up a pair apiece. Game InformationScore: (RV) Kentucky 7; USC Upstate 3Records: USC Upstate (36-25); Kentucky (30-25)Location: Doug Kingsmore Stadium | Clemson, S.C. How It Happened
B1: Driving the first pitch he saw, Kentucky's Carson Hansen began the day's scoring with a three-run homer into the seats in left-center.
T4: Using a similar recipe to how Clemson tied last evening's game, USC Upstate used a double and sac fly to begin the game anew. Hitting the gap in left-center with the bases juiced, Preston Lucas plated two before a sac fly to center from Gage Griggs tied the game.
B6: Employing a squeeze with runners on the corners, Patrick Herrera's sac bunt pushed the Wildcats back to the lead.
B8: Adding some insurance, Kentucky scratched three runs in the eighth behind an RBI single from Cole Hage and a two-run single from Hudson Brown.
Notable
With a double down the leftfield line in the fourth inning, Vance Sheahan extended his Division I era (2007-pres.) record reached base streak to 48 games.
Playing in today's game, Sheahan is also the only player in program history to play in 61 games during a single season, having started each game this season. The Spartans' game versus Kentucky marked the program's single-season record 61st game of the 2025 campaign.
Opening his outing with a strikeout in the sixth inning, Darin Kuskie recorded the Spartans' 500th strikeout of the season, hitting the mark as a team for the second straight season. Upstate finished the year with 503 strikeouts, the second-most in a single season in program history behind last year's 510 punchouts.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Trump Wants to Expand Nuclear Power. It Won't Be Easy.

Wall Street Journal

15 minutes ago

Wall Street Journal

Trump Wants to Expand Nuclear Power. It Won't Be Easy.

President Trump wants the U.S. power industry to go nuclear. His recent executive orders aim to quadruple nuclear-power generation in the next 25 years—a monumental target. For most of the past three decades, the industry has been managing ever-older assets instead of building new reactors. Developers are counting on a supply-chain revival and will have to prove they can deliver on time and on budget to drive interest in the sector.

Archegos Employees Entitled to $33 Million, Judge Says

Bloomberg

17 minutes ago

Bloomberg

Archegos Employees Entitled to $33 Million, Judge Says

By Updated on Save A federal judge ruled that a group of former Archegos Capital Management employees, including an analyst who worked closely with founder Bill Hwang, are owed $33 million for losses they suffered when the firm collapsed. The Wednesday order by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein puts the 39 ex-Archegos staffers first in line for compensation from Hwang and the firm's former chief financial officer, Patrick Halligan, who were both convicted of fraud last year.

Costco is now opening earlier for certain members

CNN

20 minutes ago

Costco is now opening earlier for certain members

Costco has rolled out earlier shopping hours. But members will have to pay a bit more to access it. Cardholders of Costco's priciest 'Executive Member' plan, which costs $130 per year, can now exclusively enter warehouses beginning at 9 am through 10 am Sunday through Friday. On Saturdays, the time slot is from 9 am to 9:30 am. All other members can enter at 10 am Sunday through Friday and at 9:30 am on Saturdays. Costco announced the changes last month and they went into effect on Monday, June 30. The changes come about a year after the warehouse chain hiked prices of its annual memberships for the first time in seven years. Last September, membership fees increased by $5 to $65 a year in the US and Canada for three of its plans: 'Gold Star,' 'Business' and 'Business Add-On.' The price of Costco's premium 'Executive Member' tier also went up by $10. However, they can now earn $1,250 in rewards annually versus $1,000 in the past, including a new $10 monthly credit for same-day delivery on its website or through Instacart. The number of Executive members jumped 9% year-over-year to 37.6 million, according to the company's most recent earnings report. Those memberships represent 73% of Costco's sales. Annual fees have been one of the biggest profit-generating areas for Costco, helping it offset expenses to keep its prices down. Last year, Costco earned $4.8 billion in revenue from membership fees, a 5% increase from 2023.