SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Cory Lyda finished with a game-high four hits in Presbyterian College's 9-2 loss to USC Upstate on Wednesday evening at Harley Park.
Lyda (Simpsonville, S.C.) was 4-for-5 in the contest, scoring one run. Since the start of his PC team season-high 15-game hitting streak in PC's win over Wofford on March 25 (which concluded in mid-April), Lyda has now hit successfully in 24 of PC's last 28 contests.
Lyda also has a team-best 16 multiple hit games in 2008, but his four-hit performance on Wednesday evening was a season-high.
Overall PC out-hit the Spartans 11-10 in the contest with Lyda and Zac Rhinesmith (Acworth, Ga.) combining for seven of PC's 11 hits in the contest.
Rhinesmith was 3-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI on Wednesday for PC.
Kyle Craven (Savannah, Ga.) rounded out PC batters with multiple hits on Wednesday. Craven was 2-for-3.
Mitchell Odom (Oconee, Ga.) fanned a PC game-high three batters in relief of Blue Hose starter Jim Wagers (Blackstock, S.C.). Ben Dollar (Gaffney, S.C.) hurled the final three innings in the game for PC, striking out two.
Keith Bisgounis tallied a team-best three hits for the Spartans in their victory. He scored two runs and he had one RBI.
USC Upstate starting pitcher Phillip Myers struck out a game-high seven batters.
The Blue Hose picked up the first run in the contest when Combs sacrificed to left field to score Lyda, who had led off the contest for PC by singling up the middle.
The Spartans took the lead in the bottom of the first with four runs of their own. They added three more in the bottom half of the third inning to take a 7-1 lead.
PC cut the Spartans lead to five runs in the top of the fourth at 7-2 with a Rhinesmith home run. The home run was Rhinesmith's first of the year and his first as a Blue Hose.
The Spartans added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to set the final score at 9-2.
The Blue Hose now have five days off before returning to the diamond for a meeting with Charlotte at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 12 at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
The defending Atlantic 10 champion 49ers are currently 34-13 on the year, including 14-7 in the tough A-10.
The Blue Hose downed Charlotte earlier this season on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at the PC Baseball Complex by the score of 5-2.
The meeting with Charlotte is the beginning of a rigorous six games in six days stretch that closes out the year for PC.
After their meeting with Charlotte and a home date with Georgia State on Tuesday, May 13, PC then travels to the lowcountry of South Carolina for four games in four days.
The Blue Hose first take on future Big South Conference foe Charleston Southern in Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday, May 14 before closing out their 2008 season with a three-game set with SoCon power The Citadel at Riley Park in Charleston, S.C. The first game of the three-game series is at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 15.
The Blue Hose and Bulldogs will then face off at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 16 before concluding the three-game series with a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday, May 17.
