SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Interstat) — South Carolina Upstate hosts Northern Kentucky on Friday at Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park in the opener of a three-game nonconference series. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. with clear skies and a game-time temperature of 71 degrees.

The Spartans (27-27) enter the weekend at .500, while the Norse (24-26) carry a three-game winning streak into the matchup.

Northern Kentucky shortstop Alex Brazer has been the catalyst for the Norse offense. In Thursday’s 12-11, 10-inning win over Elon, Brazer went 2 for 4 with five RBIs, giving him 17 RBIs over his past 10 games. He has homered in five of those contests, including a 3-RBI day at Youngstown State on May 2 and a 2-RBI performance against Oakland on April 26.

South Carolina Upstate counters with right-hander Chris Torres, who has been the Spartans’ most reliable starter. Torres threw five innings Thursday against Elon, allowing three hits, two earned runs and striking out three in a 7-6, 10-inning win. On May 8 at Presbyterian, he tossed seven shutout innings, scattering no hits and striking out six. In his past four starts, Torres has a 3.54 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.

The Spartans have won four of their past five games, including a 13-4 win at Presbyterian on May 10 and an 18-4 rout of Elon on May 5. Northern Kentucky has been powered by an offense that has scored at least 12 runs in four of its past six wins, but its pitching staff has allowed double-digit runs in four losses during that span.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 win for South Carolina Upstate, with its ELO system giving the Spartans a 73.70 percent probability of victory.

The series continues Saturday with a doubleheader. Both teams are scheduled to face each other again Saturday at the same venue.