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TUSCALOOSA, AL − USC Upstate softball's historic postseason run ended May 17 where it began.
Alabama, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, proved to be a bridge too far for USC Upstate in the Tuscaloosa Regional final, handing the Spartans a 9-0 loss.
After opening the regional with an 8-0, five-inning loss to Alabama on May 15, USC Upstate responded with a historic run on May 16. The Spartans survived Southeastern Louisiana 5-4 in an elimination game, building a 5-0 lead and holding off a late rally. Then, with little time to reset, they overwhelmed Belmont 10-1 to reach the first NCAA regional championship game in school history.
For a team that entered the tournament as an underdog in a bracket headlined by Alabama, that alone was a breakthrough.
"USC Upstate softball just took a big step this weekend," Spartans coach Chris Hawkins said. "We've gotten on national stage against the No. 1 seeded team in the country. We earned every bit of it."
Alabama controlled the championship game from the circle and at the plate, putting USC Upstate in an early hole and never allowing the Spartans to find an offensive rhythm.
Mackenzei Bernal singled and was able to advance to third, but the Spartans struck out swinging to close the sixth inning trailing 6-0.
USC Upstate avoided being no-hit when Mackenzei Bernal singled and eventually advanced to third in the sixth inning, but that was the lone movement from the plate.
The Spartans won two NCAA Tournament regional games in the same weekend for the first time, earned their first regional win since 2017 and played deeper into May than any USC Upstate team before them.
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: USC Upstate softball’s historic regional run ends vs Alabama in championship
Continue reading...
Alabama, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, proved to be a bridge too far for USC Upstate in the Tuscaloosa Regional final, handing the Spartans a 9-0 loss.
After opening the regional with an 8-0, five-inning loss to Alabama on May 15, USC Upstate responded with a historic run on May 16. The Spartans survived Southeastern Louisiana 5-4 in an elimination game, building a 5-0 lead and holding off a late rally. Then, with little time to reset, they overwhelmed Belmont 10-1 to reach the first NCAA regional championship game in school history.
For a team that entered the tournament as an underdog in a bracket headlined by Alabama, that alone was a breakthrough.
"USC Upstate softball just took a big step this weekend," Spartans coach Chris Hawkins said. "We've gotten on national stage against the No. 1 seeded team in the country. We earned every bit of it."
Alabama controlled the championship game from the circle and at the plate, putting USC Upstate in an early hole and never allowing the Spartans to find an offensive rhythm.
Mackenzei Bernal singled and was able to advance to third, but the Spartans struck out swinging to close the sixth inning trailing 6-0.
USC Upstate avoided being no-hit when Mackenzei Bernal singled and eventually advanced to third in the sixth inning, but that was the lone movement from the plate.
The Spartans won two NCAA Tournament regional games in the same weekend for the first time, earned their first regional win since 2017 and played deeper into May than any USC Upstate team before them.
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: USC Upstate softball’s historic regional run ends vs Alabama in championship
Continue reading...
