LAKE WALES, Fla. - To open Sun Conference action, USCB softball dropped its league-opening doubleheader at Warner, 3-0 and 8-7, as the second game of the road contests went into nine innings at Daly Field on Saturday afternoon.

INSIDE GAME ONE BOX SCORE

Maria Molloseau - five innings, no earned runs, four hits, four strikeouts, no walks

Allison Harless - one inning, no hits, one run

Amber Locasto - one walk

Kaitlyn O'Hearn - one walk

HOW GAME ONE HAPPENED

Warner's starting pitcher - Tiffany Dobson - had a stellar performance in the circle, as she did not allow a hit at Daly Field. 

The Sand Sharks earned its first base runner in the fourth inning, as Locasto walked with two outs. O'Hearn collected a leadoff walk in the sixth but was left stranded.

Dobson ended the contest with no hits allowed, two walks and 16 strikeouts. 

The Royals opened the scoring in the fourth inning when they plated a pair of runs with two outs. They added one more insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with a run-scoring groundout. 

INSIDE GAME TWO BOX SCORE

O'Hearn - 3-for-5, three singles, three RBIs, one run

Rachel Frankhouser - 3-for-4, three singles, one RBI, two runs

Ashlyn Alte and Jodi Hatcher - one hit and one RBI each

Molloseau - 5.1 innings, six hits, two earned runs, three strikeouts 

HOW GAME TWO HAPPENED

Warner opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Sara Bruno collected a RBI single, while Ashton Owen posted a sacrifice fly to give Warner the 2-0 lead. 

After a scoreless second inning for both teams, the Sand Sharks took their first lead of the afternoon in the third frame. Frankhouser singled to left field, and Boykin reached first base on an error to put runners at the corners. O'Hearn followed with a run-scoring single to put USCB on the scoreboard. Two batters later, Alte cracked a RBI single to left, and O'Hearn scored on the next batter via a passed ball to push the USCB lead to 3-2. 

Warner knotted the game at 3-all when it plated a run off an error the next half inning. 

However, the Sand Sharks quickly responded with some two-out magic in the top of the fourth. Locasto walked, and Frankhouser followed with a bunt single to put two runners on base. Boykin reached base via a fielding error to force the bases loaded. O'Hearn followed with another run-scoring hit, which plated Frankhouser and Locasto to give the Sand Shark the 5-3 advantage. 

Again the Royals responded with a two-run inning, as they regained the lead, 6-5, in the home half of the fourth. 

USCB retaliated in the top of the fifth when Hatcher posted a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 6-6. 

Both teams had chances to score at the end of the contest, but neither squad could muster a run, which forced extra innings.

USCB plated the go-ahead run off a Frankhouser single in the eighth, but Warner tied the contest in the bottom of the eighth with two outs. 

The Sand Sharks tried to plate a run in the top of the ninth but couldn't, and the Royals took advantage with two bunts to score the game-winning run.

RECORDS UPDATE

USCB - 12-8 overall, 0-2 Sun Conference 

No. 25 Warner - 17-3 overall, 2-0 Sun Conference

WHAT'S NEXT?

USCB will continue league action with a pair of contests at home versus the reigning TSC regular season champions - Coastal Georgia. The TSC doubleheader will be held at Richard Gray Stadium on Wednesday, March 11 beginning at 2 p.m.