HARDEEVILLE, S.C. - After splitting yesterday's games with Mid-Atlantic Christian, the USCB baseball team swept the doubleheader on Sunday, 9-2 and 26-0, as the 26-run second game set a new school record for runs scored in a single contest.
The previous school record was 23 when the 2017 squad defeated Florida Memorial, 23-0, on Feb. 18, 2017.
Also joining the school record book on Sunday was Kyran Russ, as the senior matched a school record for RBIs in a single game by one player - seven. The most recent Sand Shark to collect seven RBIs in one game was Bobby Wenthe against Florida Memorial during the 2017 campaign.
INSIDE THE GAME ONE BOX SCORE
Payton MacPherson - seven innings, complete game, no earned runs, no walks, 12 strikeouts
Clint Sellers - 4-for-4, home run, four RBIs, two runs
Tavaris Terrell - 2-for-4, double, two RBIs
Hagan Alberson - 1-for-3, solo home run
Daniel Searles - 1-for-2, single, RBI
Brian Meyer - 1-for-2, double, RBI, run scored
HOW GAME ONE HAPPENED
MACU opened the scoring in the top of the first, as the Mustangs plated one run off a throwing error. The errant throw allowed Christian Moody to score after singling to start the game.
USCB quickly responded, though, as Sellers kickstarted the offense in a strong way - a solo blast to left field. After a groundout, Meyer doubled with the bases empty, and Terrell followed with a run-scoring single to give USCB the 2-1 lead.
Quickly working through the second and third innings, MACU knotted the game at 2-all when it took advantage of a second USCB throwing error.
Similar to the first inning, USCB retaliated in the home half of the fourth with two runs. Sellers collected a RBI single in the frame, and Terrell added another run to push the lead to two, 4-2.
USCB extended its advantage with a long fifth inning, where eight Sand Sharks had an at-bat in the frame. Searles smacked a RBI single to center, and three batters later, Sellers totaled another hit, which was a two-RBI single. Meyer capped off the four-run inning with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to six, 8-2.
After adding an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, MacPherson went out to pitch the seventh. He allowed two hits in the inning, but the Limestone transfer struck out the final batter to lift USCB to victory, 9-2.
INSIDE THE GAME TWO BOX SCORE
Huneck - seven innings, complete game, win, one hit, no runs, one walk, nine strikeouts, 79 pitches
Kyran Russ - 3-for-4, grand slam, two doubles, seven RBIs, three runs
Leandy Castro - 3-for-3, triple, two RBIs, three runs
Tim Wood - 3-for-4, three singles, three runs
Terrell - 2-for-4, double, two RBIs, three runs
Hagan Alberson - 2-for-4, two RBIs, two runs
Sellers - 1-for-1, three runs
Marino Sorbara - 1-for-4, two RBIs, three runs
Tucker Czech - 1-for-2, two runs
HOW GAME TWO HAPPENED
USCB was unstoppable from the start of the game. In fact, the Sand Shark offense scored at least three runs in the first five innings.
The Sand Sharks opened the game with a three-run first frame, as all three Sand Sharks touched home via a Mustang error.
The offense carried its momentum in the second frame with a five-run inning. Sellers, Castro, Terrell, Alberson and Meyer each posted at-bats that led to runs being scored. Castro, Alberson and Meyer were the only three Sand Sharks to collect RBIs, though.
Up 8-0, USCB doubled its lead with an incredible eight-run frame, which featured seven hits (five of which were extra-base knocks). Castro, Russ, Terrell and Alberson posted back-to-back-to-back-to-back RBI hits to give the Sand Sharks the 12-0 lead. With the bases loaded Sorbara earned an RBI the painful way after getting hit by a pitch. Humphrey plated Meyer from third on a ground out, and Wood scored on the next pitch via a wild pitch. Capping off the eight-run frame was Russ' RBI double to left.
For safety purposes, USCB added five more runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to advance the lead to 26, 26-0. In the two frames, USCB combined for nine hits, and headlining the two-inning stretch was Russ' grand slam in the sixth, which set a new school record for runs scored in a game (26) and matched the school record for RBIs in a game by one player (7).
Huneck was stellar on the mound, as he held the Mustangs hitless for the first five frames. With two outs in the sixth, Jeren Harrison broke up the no-hitter on a bloop single to right center. Huneck didn't let that phase him, as he held MACU hitless and scoreless for the remainder of the game.
TEAM RECORD UPDATES
USCB - 11-8 overall
Mid-Atlantic Christian - 5-6 overall
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Sand Sharks will take just one day of rest before hosting back-to-back non-conference games with Florida National and Columbia International. FNU's contest is set for Tuesday, March 2 at noon, while CIU's game is slated for Wednesday, March 3 at 2 p.m.
