SPARTANBURG, S.C. - For
the second consecutive day at USC Upstate's Harley Park, the Blue Hose baseball
team held their opponent to six runs but failed to emerge as the victors. On Saturday, it was USC Upstate that downed
Presbyterian College, 6-3. The loss
relegates the Blue Hose to an 0-2 start, but Elton Pollock's troops will have a
chance to exact vengeance on Sunday as the Spartans travel to Clinton for PC's
home opener starting at 2 p.m.
Pollock called upon sophomore righty Will Freeman to take
the hill in his sixth career start.
After the Blue Hose were retired in order in the top of the first,
Upstate led off the game with a triple to rightfield. A wild pitch, followed by two doubles put the
Blue Hose down 3-0 with no outs in the first.
However, Freeman worked through the jam and retired the next four
batters in order to keep the scoreline to 3-0.
For the second straight day, the bats largely remained
silent as the Blue Hose recorded just four hits in the game.
Freeman worked two innings before being lifted for Andrew
Foushee who worked for the second straight game. Foushee worked five innings through the heart
of the game and allowed five hits and three runs while striking out four. Senior Jesse Harmon came on in the eighth
inning and struck out one while allowing a hit.
PC got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning as leadoff
hitter Nate Chong plated Aaron Preston who walked earlier in the inning. An inning later, the Blue Hose scored twice
more as Nate Horton lashed a double to rightfield to score Tony Micklon and
Kenny Bryant. The double chased Upstate's
starting pitcher from the game and his reliever retired the next two Blue Hose
on strikes to quell the threat in the sixth.
The Blue Hose had no answer for Ryan Newell who retired nine
straight batters before waking Preston in the ninth.
The Blue Hose will look to even the season series against
Upstate on Sunday afternoon. The home
opening matinee starts at 2 p.m. from the PC Baseball Complex.
