HARDEEVILLE, S.C. - No. 2 seed St. Thomas (Fla.) scored three runs in the top of the 10th to outlast No. 3 seed University of South Carolina Beaufort on the first day of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round at Richard Gray Sports Complex.

Giovanni Zayas gave the Bobcats the lead with an RBI single off Andrew Barrineau (4-1) in the 10th, and Nicholas Perez drove in two more runs with a single later in the inning.

The Sand Sharks (35-17) led for most of the game after staking ace left-hander Michael Heesch to a 2-0 lead on Weldon Smith's RBI double in the second and Gabe Torres' RBI single in the third.

St. Thomas (44-12) took the lead with three runs (two earned) in the seventh. Hector Bello and Elio Rey had RBI singles in the inning.

R.J. Neal's sacrifice fly in the eighth tied it at 3, but the Sand Sharks left two men on in the inning. USCB also had a runner in scoring position in the ninth, but closer Dane Stone (5-1) came in to get out of the jam and eventually earn the win.

St. Thomas advances to face the Faulkner (Ala.) vs. Union (Tenn.) winner at 2 p.m. Friday. USCB faces No. 5 seed Asbury (Ky.) in an elimination game at 10 a.m. Friday.