#2 USC Upstate Eliminates #3 Winthrop, 8-3, to Reach Championship Game
By USC Upstate Athletics
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Competing for a chance to advance to the first conference championship game in program history, USC Upstate baseball fought for the right to earn a conference title as it advanced to the final day of the 2023 Big South Baseball Championship as it split games Friday against No. 1 seed Campbell and No. 3 seed Winthrop. The Spartans will face the Camels Saturday morning at 10:00am on ESPNU, needing two wins to claim the conference championship and NCAA automatic berth.
With its victory in game two against Winthrop, the Spartans claimed their program-record 38th victory improving to 38-21 on the season as the 2022 and 2023 seasons mark the winningest two-year stretch in program history with 73 total wins. Upstate claimed an 8-3 win, downing the Eagles for the second straight day to stave off elimination, as the Spartans scored six runs in the fifth inning to break a 2-2 deadlock.
Scoring Summary
* B2: Following up a leadoff single from Daniel Gernon to open the second, Cole Caruso opened the game's scoring with his first of three RBI singles, singling to shortstop to bring Gernon home from third.
* T4: Using three straight hits, Winthrop tied the game on an RBI double from Ramses Cordova before a sac fly from Nate Chronis delivered a one-run advantage.
* B4: Stepping to the plate in the fourth, Caruso drove home another run with a single through the left side as Troy Hamilton scored from second to tie the game.
* B5: Taking the lead on some crafty baserunning from Easton Cullison as he deked the second baseman on a shallow pop-up, racing home as Winthrop slow played getting the ball back to the pitcher. Adding on in what turned into a six-run inning, Caruso tacked on an insurance run with a single up the middle before successive two-run singles from Grant Sherrod and Jace Rinehart drove home four more combined runs.
* T6: Loading the base, Winthrop used a sacrifice fly to left to finish the game's scoring.
Notable
With its win in its second game of the day, Upstate advanced to its first conference championship game as an NCAA institution (1990-pres.). The victory also marked the Spartans' 38th of the season, a new program record, breaking a tie with the 2021 team.
Earning the victory in Friday's second game, Mathieu Curtis earned his seventh victory of the season as all three of Upstate's primary starting pitchers have won seven or more games this season (Reese Dutton [10], Henry Proger [seven], and Curtis [seven]). The 2023 season is the second in program history to see three pitchers with seven or more victories with the feat last accomplished in 1988.