HARDEEVILLE — The University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team suffered its first loss of the season but also showed off its ability to rebound from defeat by splitting a doubleheader with Webber International to open Sun Conference play Friday at Richard Gray Sports Complex.

The Sand Sharks dropped the opener 10-2 to the Warriors before bouncing back with a 14-2 victory that ended after seven innings in the second game. The final game of the series is scheduled for noon Saturday but could be pushed back later in the day or until Sunday because of rain in the forecast.

Seniors Blake Cilwick (5-for-9, 2 runs, 3 RBIs) and Jon Andrews (5-for-8, 2 RBIs) had big days at the plate to lead the Sand Sharks, and Junior Delatorre tossed six strong innings in the second game. 

USCB had an early lead in the opener after Erik Armstrong's solo home run — tying Brandon Collins for the school record with the ninth blast of his career — but it didn't hold up for long. Senior CJ Kelly (1-1) struggled with his control, issuing five walks, and the Warriors plated seven runs in the third inning. 

It was the Sand Sharks who had the offensive outburst in the nightcap, pounding a season-high 20 hits and ending the game early on the 10-run rule. USCB plated four runs in the third on Cilwick's RBI double and run-scoring singles from Ryan Walker, Andrews and Matt Kianka. Andrews added an RBI single in the fifth for a 5-0 advantage.

The Warriors broke through with a pair of unearned runs in the sixth, but USCB answered in a big way in the bottom of the inning by sending 15 batters to the plate and scoring nine runs on 10 hits. Alex Bonilla had a double and a sacrifice fly in the frame, Ashly Morris had two hits and three RBIs and Cilwick had two hits and two RBIs.

Delatorre allowed just two unearned runs on three hits with four walks and six strikeouts in six innings. He has not allowed an earned run in 12 innings this season. Junior Gage Roth sat down the Warriors in order in the seventh to finish it off. 

Seven players had multiple hits for USCB in the second game with Cilwick (3-for-5, 3 RBIs), Morris (3-for-4, 3 runs, 3 RBIs), Andrews (3-for-4, 2 RBIs) and Kianka (3-for-4, 2 RBIs) leading the way. Armstrong, JJ Crespo and Walker each added two hits.

NOTES: The Sand Sharks lead the all-time series 10-8 and have won six of eight meetings in Hardeeville. … Senior RHP Ben Sauls allowed a pair of runs in the third inning of Game 1 before settling in and retiring the last 10 batters he faced. … Freshman LHP Willis Dobison allowed one run over two innings in his collegiate debut in Game 1. … USCB has four players hitting over .400 — Cilwick (.588), Aaron Bishop (.571), Andrews (.500) and Morris (.417). … Armstrong now has 98 career RBIs.