FORT MEYERS, FL-The USCB baseball team was eliminated from the Sun Conference Tournament on Tuesday as the Sand Sharks lost to Florida Memorial 6-5 at the Boston Red Sox spring training site in Fort Meyers, FL. The 19th ranked Sand Sharks who lost two straight games in the tournament will now have to wait until Thursday to find out if they will receive an at large bid to the 46 team NAIA National Tournament. USCB's record now stands at 38-13.
 
The Sand Sharks battled back from a 6-1 deficit scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh frame. With two outs, Spencer Jackson doubled and was driven home by a Zach Rossetti single. After Gabe Torres singled, Brandon Collins stroked a single to drive home Rossetti and Torres and USCB had cut the margin to 6-4.
 
Trailing by the same margin, entering the last half of the ninth inning, Jackson led off with a single. After Rossetti reached on an error by the Lions shortstop, Torres was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Collins then hit a long sacrifice fly to right field to score Jackson. The Sand Sharks Jeremy Webb then hit into a game ending double play and USCB came up one run short.
 
Spencer Cromer was the Sand Sharks starting pitcher going four and two thirds innings allowing five runs on nine hits. Florida Memorial scored at least one run in each of the first four innings. Kyle McCullough came on in relief in the fifth frame pitching the final four and a third surrendering only one run on three base hits.
 
Most of the Sand Sharks offense was supplied by the top half of the order as eleven of their fourteen hits came from the bats of the first through four hitters. Jackson had four hits on the day in the lead off role. He ended the tournament six for eight for a hefty .750 average. Collins contributed three hits and also had three runs batted in. Rossetti and Torres each had a pair of base hits.