Spartans surge in Big South opener
USC Upstate opened the Big South Baseball Championship with an 11-8 win over Longwood, pushing their season record to 30 victories and marking the sixth consecutive year the program has reached the 30‑win plateau.
The game featured a burst of offense early, highlighted by Henry Zenor’s first‑inning homer, his seventh of the season, and Trey Bentley’s sixth‑inning grand slam that drove in four runs and swung momentum in the Spartans’ favor.
Pitching was equally pivotal; Chris Torres fanned nine batters over 5.2 innings, contributing to a staff total of 12 strikeouts, the most the team has recorded in a tournament game this year.
Eight of the nine starters logged at least one hit, and Preston Lucas added a pair of RBI to underscore the depth of the lineup.
Bentley also made history with two outfield assists, the first Spartan this season to achieve multiple assists in a single contest, while Torres tied the program’s single‑game strikeout record.
Coach Kane Sweeney’s squad now boasts the longest winning streak in his tenure, a streak that began with a four‑game run and continues to fuel optimism as they prepare for a showdown with Winthrop.
The victory also extended the team’s streak of consecutive games with a home run to four, a testament to the consistent power surge that has defined their recent play.
With the tournament still in its early stages, the Spartans look to carry this momentum forward, aiming to capture the championship and solidify their place among the conference’s elite.