HARDEEVILLE — The University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team ran its winning streak to six games and continued its best start in four years by sweeping a doubleheader from visiting Middle Georgia on Tuesday at Richard Gray Sports Complex.
The Sand Sharks beat the Knights 7-5 and 8-1 in a pair of seven-inning games to improve to 8-1, their best start since going 11-1 to being the 2011 campaign.
Middle Georgia (4-5) entered the day averaging 12.57 runs per game — second-most in the NAIA — but USCB's pitching staff continued its strong performance, allowing only six runs and seven hits in the doubleheader. The Sand Sharks also got the bats going, racking up 21 hits.
Sophomore Paxton Buckner (2-0) turned in a strong outing in the opener, holding the Knights to one run on two his over five innings. Blake Drew picked up his third save, notching a huge strikeout to end the sixth and strand the tying run in scoring position before allowing two runs in the seventh.
The Sand Sharks trailed 1-0 before pushing across four runs in the third with RBIs from Kyle Thompson, Johnny Cole and Michael Johnson. The Knights scored twice in the sixth and had the tying run at second when Drew came on to strikeout pinch-hitter Tristan Goodro and preserve the lead.
USCB picked up three big insurance runs in the seventh on sophomore catcher Nick Payne's first career home run — a two-run blast to right — and Ashly Morris' sacrifice fly.
Freshman Zack Saldivar went 2-for-3 and scored twice for the Sand Sharks in the first game.
The Knights again struck first in the finale, scoring on Jeremie Little's RBI single in the second, but that was the only run — and the only hit — they mustered against four USCB pitchers. Kutler Lane allowed one run, one hit and three walks over three innings before the bullpen combined for four perfect frames. Josh Altman and Willis Dobison each worked a clean inning and Joe Schaffhauser (1-0) retired all six batters he faced to earn the win.
The Sand Sharks took the lead in the third when Zack Holt's RBI infield single and a throwing error brought home two runs. Morris had a two-run single and Holt added a two-run double in the four-run fourth to break it open, and USCB added two more in the fifth on a wild pitch and an RBI single from Morris.
Morris finished 4-for-4 with three RBIs, raising his team-leading average to .528, while Holt was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Alex Bonilla and John Cloyd added two hits apiece.
The Sand Sharks open Sun Conference play this weekend, hosting Warner for a single game at 1 p.m. Friday and a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. Saturday.
NOTES: Schaffhauser has retired all eight batters he has faced with three strikeouts. … Drew's three saves are tied for fifth on USCB's single-season list, and he needs only two more to match Colton Rudd (2012) and Kyle McCullough (2009) for the program record. … Morris scored his 72nd and 73rd career runs, passing DeShontay Berry for ninth on USCB's career list.
