By: CSU Sports Media
Charleston Southern continued their domination Saturday taking both ends of a doubleheader to sweep the Big South series from USC Upstate behind 9-4 and 12-4 victories at CSU Ballpark, collecting their 10th conference win and series sweep in the process.
CSU (20-31, 10-14 Big South) got the bats going early once again in the first game scoring a run in the first before posting two in the second, third, fifth and seventh innings to cruise to the series-clinching 9-4 win before tallying the game's first seven runs en route to a sweep-clinching 12-4 victory to close the day.
USC Upstate (22-26, 8-15 Big South) did grab their first and only lead of the weekend in game one scoring three runs for a 3-1 margin in the second, but it was short-lived as the Bucs rallied for two to answer and step on the gas from there.
Junior first baseman continued to knock the ball around the yard smacking a home run in all three games of the series leading a Buccaneer offense that hit eight alone Saturday between the two contests.
Overall, the Buccaneer offense posted 30 runs on 42 hits against a USC Upstate starting staff that had a 4.57 ERA as a unit coming into the weekend. Of the 30 runs scored, 29 came as earned with CSU getting multiple two and three-hit daysfrom everyone in the lineup. Stoudemire also posted five hits across the two wins Saturday including a 4-for-5 contest in game one.
CSU 9, USC Upstate 4
Charleston Southern junior starter Cam Weinberger pitched into the sixth inning allowing just three runs to up his record to 4-3 on the season collecting his third Big South win as a Buccaneer. Freshman righty RJ Petit came on for reliefwith one down in the sixth and got two strikeouts to end an RBI threat before tossing the final 17 outs and collecting his fourth save of the season.
Stoudemire's four-hit performance in game one led the offense as he drove-in a pair and extended his at-bat streak to eight-straight with a hit. Stoudemire went 4-fo-4 Friday with a sacrifice fly then had four hits in his first four appearancesSaturday.
Reid Hardwick had a three-hit day and Jason Miller added a pair of knocks in the runaway win while Stoudemire, Miller and Josh Litchfield all three scored twice each and drove-in a pair. All three of Miller, Stoudemire and Litchfield also homered in the win.
Petit's scoreless streak came to an end at 23.1 frames with two outs in the ninth inning on a CSU error, but the freshman did collect his fourth save striking out four Spartan hitters.
CSU 12, USC Upstate 4
It was nearly the same story offensively for the Bucs in the finale as they scored the game's first seven runs by the end of the third thanks to a solo homer from Ryan Stoudemire, a two-run double from Jack DeLongchamps and a two-run homerun by Javon Martin.
Stoudemire's homer in the first inning was his third of the weekend and fifth extra-base hit.
Cody Maw was in a groove early retiring the first six men he faced before surrendering a leadoff single in the fourth, the first of the day for the Spartans in game two. Maw would allow just two runs, both earned for yet another quality start from the senior southpaw as he struck out five over 6.0 innings.
Four Buccaneers collected a pair of hits in game two – Jason Miller, Kyle Horton, Jack DeLongchamps and Javon Martin – and four drove in at least two runs in the win – Ryan Stoudemire, Max Ryerson, DeLongchamps and Martin.
The Bucs would lead by as many as nine at 11-2 through six innings before a pair of solo home runs in the seventh and ninth gave USC Upstate their final runs of the ballgame.
Up Next
CSU heads to Charlotte for one final nonconference midweek game Tuesday before hosting Presbyterian for a three-game set beginning Thursday. First pitch Tuesday in the Queen City is slated for 5 p.m.
