May 9, 2008

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

DeLAND, Fla. - Freshman Keith Bisgounis (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) used all 360 feet he had as he reached up against the right field wall and hauled in Stetson's shot at a walkoff homer by Jeremy Cruz in the bottom of the ninth inning, helping the USC Upstate baseball team to a 5-4 win over the preseason conference favorites in Atlantic Sun Conference action at Melching Field on Friday night.

Down 5-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Hatters (20-31 overall, 10-18 A-Sun) drew within one in the ninth inning, as Brian Pruitt tripled to right center to lead off. After a strikeout, Sean Emory found the 6.5 hole to make it one-run game. A beautiful diving catch after a long run by Bisgounis gave the Spartans the second out before Cruz sent a shot hurtling into the Florida night where Bisgounis ran it down on the base of the wall.

Once again, Upstate (23-25 overall, 15-13 A-Sun) played the role of the comeback kids, as it fought back from a 3-1 deficit in the sixth inning to take the lead in the eighth. In the process, sophomore Matt Branham (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) (5-5) won his career-high fifth game to tie for the team lead, tossing seven innings, allowing eight hits and three runs for his sixth quality start of the season. He struck out six and walked one. Junior Justin Hayes (Mauldin, S.C./Mauldin) pitched the final two innings for his fourth save of the year, allowing two hits and a run. He struck out two as he moved into a three-way tie for seventh in the school-record book in career saves.

A perfectly executed slashing hit and a safety squeeze helped Upstate take the one-run lead. Sophomore Brian Dempsey (Montverde, Fla./East Ridge) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning Bisgounis followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt down the third baseline. The throw pulled the first baseman off the base putting runners at first and second with no out. Then freshman Blake Green (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) pulled a bunt back and slashed a hit right up the middle to let Dempsey score the game-tying run. Freshman A.J. Clark (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Springs Christian) laid down a bunt to third base, allowing Bisgounis to score after the third baseman threw to first base.

In the ninth, Upstate added one more run when junior Phillip Morgan (Campobello, S.C./Spartanburg Methodist) singled with one out. A sac bunt moved him to second where he scored on an opposite field single from Dempsey.

Stetson got the offenses rolling with a single tally in the fourth inning, as it combined two singles, a sac bunt and a sac fly for a run. Upstate tied the game in the top of the fifth, as junior Kyle Simpson (Lyman, S.C./Byrnes) singled up the middle. He moved to second on a sac bunt by Dempsey and to third on a groundout before Green singled up the middle with two outs.

The Hatters responded in the bottom of the sixth inning with two solo homers from Justin Bass and Robert Crews. The Spartans got one of the runs back in the seventh inning as senior Andrew Runion (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) doubled to the opposite field with two outs and Morgan snapped a 1-for-13 slump with a single up the middle to score Runion.

Runion led the Spartans' 13-hit attack with a 3-for-5 game. He scored one run. Morgan went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI, Dempsey went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI and Green went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. The Hatters posted 10 hits in the game with Emory, Bass and Crews each adding two hits.

David Burns (0-2) took the loss for the Hatters, allowing two runs, one earned in two innings of relief. He allowed three hits and a walk. Upstate and Stetson meet in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Melching Field to wrap up the series.