ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Interstat) — South Carolina Upstate erupted for three runs in the first inning and never looked back, beating Longwood 8-1 on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in the first game of a doubleheader at the 2026 Big South Baseball Championship.

The Spartans, now 33-28, took control early against Longwood starter Joe Castrichini. In the bottom of the first, South Carolina Upstate loaded the bases on a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch, then pushed across three runs on a walk to Jace Armsey, a walk to Preston Lucas and a walk to Wylie Waters. All three bases-loaded walks came with two outs, giving the Spartans a 3-0 lead.

The Lancers, who fell to 34-26, answered in the top of the third. Mason Lawson led off with a walk, moved to second on a hit-by-pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by J.D. Carter. That cut the deficit to 4-1, but South Carolina Upstate responded immediately.

Wylie Waters crushed a two-run homer to left-center in the bottom of the third, scoring Jace Armsey, who had doubled earlier in the inning. The blast made it 6-1 and effectively broke open the game. Waters finished 1 for 3 with three RBIs.

South Carolina Upstate added two more runs in the fifth when pinch hitter Brady Small launched a two-run homer to left-center, plating Preston Lucas, who had doubled. Small’s blast pushed the lead to 8-1 and capped the scoring.

Longwood’s offense managed only two hits all afternoon. Pulliam singled in the fifth and Lawson singled in the seventh, but the Lancers could not string together a rally. South Carolina Upstate reliever Jacob Kirby earned the win, tossing four innings of two-hit, shutout ball with three strikeouts. Kirby entered in the fourth after starter Chris Torres worked three innings, allowing one run on no hits with four strikeouts. Andrew Kummer closed with two perfect innings.

Castrichini took the loss for Longwood, allowing four runs — all unearned — on no hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four, but the Spartans took advantage of three hit-by-pitches and two errors to score despite few base hits. Landen Moore pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.

Preston Lucas led the Spartans with two hits, including a double, and drove in a run. Armsey doubled and scored twice. South Carolina Upstate finished with seven hits, while Longwood managed just two.

The game was the first of a scheduled doubleheader. The second game was set to begin later Sunday, with the winner earning a spot in the Big South championship bracket. No betting line or over-under was available for the contest.