ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Interstat) — Jacob Kirby tossed four innings of two-hit shutout relief as South Carolina Upstate defeated Longwood 8-1 in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday at the Big South Baseball Championship.

The Spartans (33-28) jumped ahead with three runs in the first inning on three walks with the bases loaded, then added a fourth in the second on a groundout. Wylie Waters crushed a two-run homer in the third and Brady Small added a two-run blast in the fifth.

Longwood (34-26) scored its lone run in the third on a sacrifice fly by J. Carter. The Lancers managed only two hits off four Spartan pitchers. Joe Castrichini took the loss, allowing four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings despite scattering seven hits.

Kirby picked up the win, continuing his recent dominance with three strikeouts. Chris Torres and Andrew Kummer combined for five scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Waters finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs, and Preston Lucas went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Spartans.