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SAVANNAH, Ga. — Chalk up another "first" for the University of South Carolina Beaufort softball team — and make it a double.
The 21st-ranked Sand Sharks faced NCAA Division I competition for the first time Sunday, and they came home from the Savannah State Lady Tiger Softball Tournament with a pair of victories, winning 10-2 in five innings against Morgan State and claiming a 10-4 victory over host Savannah State to improve to 6-0 on the season.
The Sand Sharks might have felt some early jitters against Morgan State, which answered USCB's two-run first inning with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to tie it at 2. But USCB scored twice in the third, four times in the fourth and twice in the fifth to rack up their fourth mercy-rule victory of the season.
Senior Becca Hewitt came on in relief of starter Caitlin Campbell and held the Bears to two hits over three scoreless innings for her first win as a Sand Shark.
Junior C.J. Browder led the offense against Morgan State, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs, and Katie Rietkovich had two doubles and two RBIs out of the leadoff spot.
The bats kept ringing in the nightcap, as the Sand Sharks jumped out to a 5-0 lead against Savannah State. The Tigers charged back with four runs in the fourth to get within 5-4, but freshman Ashlie Layman tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of ace Kristy Cook to earn her first collegiate victory.
The Sand Sharks gave Layman some insurance with a pair of runs in the sixth and tacked on three more in the seventh.
Rietkovich went 3-for-5 with an RBI and scored twice to lead USCB against Savannah State. Sammi Shaffren was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Alexandria Simmons, Maddie Byrd and Taylor Triplett each had two hits.
The Sand Sharks return home to face Edward Waters in a non-conference doubleheader at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Hardeeville's Richard Gray Sports Complex.
NOTES: Layman has not allowed an earned run in 6 2/3 innings over four appearances, and Hewitt has not allowed a run in four innings over two outings. … USCB has eight starters hitting .333 or better and is batting .399 as a team. … The Sand Sharks had a season-high 15 hits against Savannah State — 14 of them singles.
