Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SPARTANBURG, S.C. - East Tennessee State softball dropped a pair of contests in a midweek meeting with USC Upstate on Tuesday afternoon.  The Bucs (15-22, 3-9 SoCon) fell 0-5 and 1-9(6) to the Spartans (27-18, 8-4 Big South).

GAME 1 NOTABLES (L, 0-5) 
How It Happened:
ETSU faced an offensive deficit, recording just two runs in the contest for the second lowest numbers of runs in a game this season.  USC Upstate was able to capitalize on a pair of ETSU errors alongside active bats for their five runs.  The ETSU defense held steady but faltered in key moments to allow three of the runs to either score or enter scoring position on the two errors.  

• Cameron Lauretta and Payton Moore were the lone members of the ETSU squad to registered a hit in the outing. 
• Maddison Stowell drew the single walk for the Bucs in the contest.
• Tiare Rieger turned a double play in the top of the first inning for her sixth of the season.  
• The pitching staff tallied nine flyouts and five groundouts in the first contest. 
• Marissa Barnes saw 4.2 innings on the mound as a reliever and collected three strikeouts in the showing. 

GAME 2 NOTABLES (L, 1-9 (6))
How It Happened:
USC Upstate placed one run on the board in the bottom of the first and ETSU answered with their own run in the top of the second.  Boone singled then stole second but was out on a fielder's choice that landed Stowell on base.  Stowell then advanced to second on a single from Ciarletta and the pair advanced across the plate and to third on a throwing error on a Porter hit by the Spartans third baseman.  The run was the only of the contest for the Buccaneers.  ETSU held steady until the bottom of the third when a pair of doubles, four singles, two ETSU errors and a wild pitch brought in six runs for the Big South opponent.  From their, the ETSU offense faltered and was unable to make significant scoring efforts, eventually surrendering an eighth run in the bottom of the fourth and the game-ending ninth run in the bottom of the fifth. 

• Whitney Boone, Hailey Porter, Addison Merritt and Kaela Ciarletta were the lone Buccaneers to each tally a single hit.  Boone owns the only stolen base on the day for the Bucs.  
• Alongside her hit, Porter drew one walk and reached on a USC Upstate fielding error which resulted in an RBI for the freshman infielder.
• Defense was spread evenly with five members of the squad recording two or more putouts.  

UP NEXT
ETSU returns to Betty Basler Field over April 18-19 for a trio of contests versus SoCon-foe Wofford.