HARDEEVILLE — The University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team earned a series victory on the opening weekend of the Sun Conference season by splitting a doubleheader with visiting Warner on Saturday. 

The Sand Sharks (10-2, 2-1 TSC) dropped the first game of the twinbill 8-4 but rebounded for a 12-9 victory in the finale to take two of three in the series. 

USCB had its seven-game winning streak snapped in the opener, as Warner (2-5, 1-2) took advantage of three Sand Shark errors at inopportune times. One miscue led to a big fifth inning in which the Royals scored five unearned runs to open a 6-0 lead. 

The unearned runs led to a tough-luck loss for Jamie Strock (2-1), who allowed six runs — one earned — on seven hits over seven innings. 

Nick Payne had two hits and two RBIs and Johnny Cole added two hits, two runs and an RBI to lead the offense. The Sand Sharks had opportunities to stay in the game but left 10 men on base, including at least one in eight of nine innings. 

The Sand Sharks missed more chances in the finale, leaving eight men on in the first three innings, but they still managed to push across four runs in the second with an RBI single from Kyle Thompson and a two-run double from Michael Johnson. 

It was a 9-5 USCB lead through five innings when the Royals rallied with two outs in the sixth to score three runs, then tied it on Tomas Rivera's RBI single in the seventh. 

USCB answered in the bottom of the inning, as Zack Holt drew a bases-loaded walk, Zack Saldivar added a sacrifice fly and Alex Bonilla delivered an RBI single to give the Sand Sharks a three-run cushion.

Thompson and Ashly Morris each had three hits and scored twice and Josh Reinhart was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Blake Drew (1-1) allowed four hits but no runs over the final 2 2/3 innings for the win.

The Sand Sharks make their first road trip of the season Tuesday, traveling to Jacksonville, Fla., to face Trinity Baptist in a non-conference doubleheader. USCB returns home for a Sun Conference series against St. Thomas on Friday and Saturday.

NOTES: USCB 1B Johnny Cole drew five walks in the doubleheader and has 16 bases on balls this season. The single-season program record is 28 by R.J. Neal in 2012. … USCB starting pitchers have not allowed more than three earned runs in any game this season. … Morris (113) passed Ty Main for seventh on USCB's career list for hits. Blake Cilwick is sixth with 155.