Box Score
HARDEEVILLE – If there was one thing the University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team might have changed about its start to the season, it might have been the Sand Sharks' propensity to get off to slow starts. The Sand Sharks had not scored a run in the first inning of any of their first four games and had fallen behind early in their previous three.
Everything changed Friday, as USCB scored a run in each of the first three innings and never let go of the lead, beating Mid-Continent (Ky.) 7-4 for its third straight win over the visiting Cougars.
The Sand Sharks (4-1) staked senior left-hander
Adam Miller to a 3-0 lead on
Erik Armstrong's sacrifice fly in the first,
Weldon Smith's RBI single in the second and
David O'Neil's homer in the third – the first home run of O'Neil's four-year career at USCB.
That turned out to be enough for Miller, who held the Cougars (0-7) to four runs on eight hits over eight innings before handing the ball to
Matt Barger. The 6-foot-8 lefty breezed through the ninth for his second save in two chances.
There were plenty of offensive stars on a day in which the Sand Sharks pounded 15 hits, but none shined brighter than senior catcher
Dylan Nasiatka, who went 5-for-5 with a double to tie the school record for hits in a game. Nasiatka is now 8-for-11 (.727) for the season.
The Cougars pulled within 3-2 on RBI singles by Dylan Rasch and Daniel Edwards in the fourth, but the Sand Sharks gave themselves some breathing room with three runs in the sixth, coming on Nasiatka's RBI single and
Gabe Torres' two-run single. Torres has driven in five runs in the past two games.
Smith had three hits, and O'Neil, Armstrong and Torres had two apiece for USCB. Armstrong and Torres are the only USCB players who have hit safely in all five games this season. Torres' hit streak is up to 11 games dating to last season.
The four-game series concludes at 1 p.m. today at Richard Gray Sports Complex. Lewallyn was undecided on a starting pitcher but expects several pitchers to get some work for USCB.
