St. Francis (1-5) at No. 12 USC Beaufort (15-3)

The University of South Carolina Beaufort softball team looks to maintain its perfect home record when the 12th-ranked Sand Sharks host St. Francis (Ind.) on the second day of the 2014 Worth Smash Hit Classic. It's the second straight year the teams have faced one another in the event, with USCB winning 10-2 and 16-8 last year. The Cougars dropped their first two games of the tournament, losing 9-0 and 8-0 to Brewton-Parker on Wednesday. The Sand Sharks had a seven-game winning streak snapped Saturday at Southern Wesleyan, where they lost the second game of a doubleheader 12-11 after erasing a six-run deficit. 

LEADING OFF

WHEN: Thursday, 11 a.m. (DH)

WHERE: Richard Gray Sports Complex, Hardeeville

CURRENT USCB STREAK: L1

CURRENT USF STREAK: L4

USCB AT HOME IN 2014: 8-0

USF ON THE ROAD IN 2014: 1-3

LIVE COVERAGE

TV: None

Streaming video: Stretch Internet

Live stats: Stretch Internet

SCOUTING ST. FRANCIS

The Cougars only began their season Saturday, making their annual swing through the South before heading back to the Midwest to begin Crossroads League play. The split a doubleheader at Pikeville (Ky.) on Saturday before dropping two games at Columbia (S.C.) College on Monday and being swept by Brewton-Parker on Wednesday while managing only five hits. Two of their five losses have come by one run. Catcher Erica Smith (9-for-17, 4 doubles, 2 HR, 5 RBIs) has been the team's hottest hitter in the early going while Heather Zengler (1-1, 5.53 ERA) has the only win on the mound and Kortney Holliday (0-1, 1.75) boasts the team's best ERA. 

HEAD-TO-HEAD

ALL-TIME: USCB leads 2-0 

CURRENT STREAK: USCB W2

ALL-TIME AT USCB: USCB leads 2-0

CURRENT STREAK AT USCB: USCB W2

NOTES

• USCB is 34-9 all-time in March and has won at least 15 of its first 18 games in all three seasons of the program's existence. 

• USCB is 59-7 all-time at Richard Gray Sports Complex and 66-10 in games played in the state of South Carolina.

• The Sand Sharks rank in the top 25 in the NAIA in six batting categories: home runs per game (8th, 1.0), runs scored (18th, 122), slugging (18th, .533), doubles (18th, 34), RBIs (21st, 105), batting average (24th, .353).

• Five USCB starters boast batting averages over .400 — Mariaha Sanborn (.512), Maddie Byrd (.438), Taylor Triplett (.433), Missy Hughes (.419) and Alexandria Simmons (.411) — while Melanie Goolsby (.375) and Chelsey Blasingame (.372) are just shy of the mark. 

• Senior SS Alexandria Simmons leads the team with eight multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games and has reached base in nine straight contests. 

• Junior 1B/DP Taylor Triplett ranks 16th in the NAIA in total bases (47), 18th in home runs (5) and 35th in RBIs (19). Triplett has hit safely in 13 straight games. 

• USCB pitchers have combined for 111 strikeouts, 12th-most in the NAIA, and rank 23rd in the NAIA in opponents' batting average (.221). Sophomore Ashlie Layman and junior Kristy Cook are tied for 25th nationally with six wins and Layman is 33rd in strikeouts (47).

RELATED LINKS

USCB Season Statistics

Sun Conference Softball Standings

USCB Sand Sharks on Facebook

USCB Athletics on Twitter