SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the 50
th game of the regular season and the last contest before next week's Big South Conference Tournament, the Presbyterian College softball team came back from a three-run hole at USC Upstate to reach a 5
th-inning tie, although the Spartans would prevail 4-3 on Saturday afternoon.
PC's seeding in the conference bracket – set to begin on Wednesday – would not have changed no matter the result, setting up the Scotsmen as the #4 seed to snap a four-year postseason drought.
The Blue Hose shut out Upstate to start this series yesterday, but could not snatch the second victory as the home side utilized a sacrifice fly which served as the game-winning run.
Saturday was the 12
th game of Presby's season to be decided by one score, with both parties posting five hits in the finale. Freshman
Kaylee Huckaby threw four solid innings of relief after also turning in four frames less than 24 hours ago.
PC will kick off the double-elimination tournament (coincidentally right back in Spartanburg at Upstate's facility) in four days versus the number five seed Gardner-Webb. First pitch will take place at 5:00 and will be streamed on ESPN+.
FINAL SCORE: USC Upstate, 4 – Presbyterian, 3
RECORDS: Presbyterian (20-30, 8-10) | USC Upstate (33-21, 12-6)
LOCATION: Cyrill Stadium (Spartanburg, S.C.)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Trailing by three near the midway point, Presbyterian rallied to tie the game over the next two innings on an error-assisted run, a sac fly from senior catcher
Molly Mattas, and a 5
th-inning RBI double by
Avery Fielden (her second extra-base hit in league territory).
- Against Huckaby – who relieved starter
Grace Kelley after the first two innings – USC Upstate managed to break the tie with a two-out sacrifice from Ella Christopher.
- In the top of the 6
th, sophomore infielder
Audrey Burton cranked a lead-off double but was ultimately stranded at third base after three consecutive grounders.
- PC went down 1-2-3 as they attempted to extend the affair in the 7
th, concluding the regular season with an 8-10 mark against Big South opponents.
- Huckaby let only five of 16 batters reach, as she pitched a combined eight innings in this series.
UP NEXT
- Head coach
David Williams has his squad back in the conference playoff for the first time since 2022, beginning the tournament on May 6 opposite Gardner-Webb.
- The Blue Hose defeated the Runnin' Bulldogs two-games-to-one in Boiling Springs three weeks ago, dominating Game 2 by 10 runs and completing a five-run extra-inning comeback in the rubber match by an 11-10 count.
- It will be the third all-time meeting between PC and Gardner-Webb in the conference tourney, having also faced off in 2011 and 2012. (G-W won both of those encounters by three runs combined.)
