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LAKELAND, Fla. — A long day ended with one win and two losses for the University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team, as the Sand Sharks dropped their Sun Conference series at Southeastern on Saturday.
The opening game of the series was suspended because of rain in the fifth inning Friday, and the Fire began the day by finishing off a 7-0 victory in that contest. After USCB claimed an 8-7 win in the second game, Southeastern rallied from a four-run deficit for an 8-5 win in the finale.
Southeastern (17-19, 6-9 TSC) had a 2-0 lead when play was suspended Friday night, and the Fire didn't waste any time adding to the advantage Saturday morning. They scored two in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the eighth, and reliever Sergio Pita picked up where starter Grant Porter left off as the duo combined for a five-hitter.
The Sand Sharks (14-15, 6-9) got the bats going in the second game, as Blake Cilwick, Brandon Joyce, Erik Armstrong and Ryan Walker each recorded two hits to pace the offense.
Walker gave USCB a 2-1 lead with an RBI single in the fourth, and the Sand Sharks broke it open with a five-run fifth. Terry McClinton and Armstrong delivered RBI doubles in the big inning, and Joyce, Walker and Ryan Doeppel each had an RBI single.
The Fire clawed back into it with two in the fifth, two in the sixth and two in the ninth, but Caleb Daniels stranded the tying run at first to earn the save and preserve the win for Hunter Englehart, who allowed three earned runs on eight hits over six innings.
It looked as though USCB might claim the series when the Sand Sharks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the finale, but Southeastern rallied for five runs in the sixth and added three in the seventh. McClinton went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Doeppel was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Joyce was 2-for-4 with an RBI for USCB in the final game.
USCB is back on the road Tuesday, heading to Edward Waters for a non-conference doubleheader at 1 p.m. The Sand Sharks return home March 29-30 for a three-game Sun Conference series against St. Thomas.
