AVE MARIA, Fla. - Behind the second grand slam of the series from Clint Sellars and a clutch three RBI double from Wesley Ambrose in extra innings, the USCB baseball team held on in the series finale to down Ave Maria, 12-9, to win the rubber match in 10 innings on Saturday at Bowie's Ballpark.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Ambrose - 3-for-4, double, four RBIs, one run
Sellars - 2-for-3, grand slam for second straight game, five RBIs, two runs
Leandy Castro - 3-for-5, double, three runs
Kyran Russ - 1-for-2, double, two RBIs, two walks, three runs
Brian Meyer - 2-for-5, two singles, one run
Jake Tanner - 2-for-5, double, single, one RBI
Scott Matthews - eight hits, seven hits, six earned runs, five walks, six strikeouts
Tucker Perry - one inning, win, two hits, no earned runs, one walk, one strikeout
Payton MacPherson - one inning, save, no runs, no hits, no walks, two strikeouts
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Sand Sharks started the rubber match off with another bang - the second straight game where Sellars hit a grand slam. Overall this year, Sellars has hit three grand slams, which brings his career grand slam total to four. In the first inning, Castro poked a single, and Russ and Ambrose walked to force the bases loaded with two outs. In a three-ball count, Sellars drove his fourth career grand slam over the left field fence to give USCB the big and early lead, 4-0.
The Gyrenes cut the deficit in half in the second via a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.
USCB tallied was able to regain one of its lost runs in the top of the third, as it scored one on a sac fly from Sellars - bringing his game total to five RBIs.
After recording back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth innings, Matthews ran into some trouble in the fifth. AMU worked the bases loaded thanks to a walk, single and a hit by pitch. However the senior right-hander worked out of the jam to leave the bases loaded.
Moving into the eighth frame, USCB had a prime chance to add to its lead. USCB had three hits from Ambrose, Sellars and Julian Galassi, but the Sand Shark trio were left stranded.
In the ninth inning, USBC tacked on four more insurance runs to pull ahead by seven, 9-2. Russ earned a two RBI double. Ambrose tallied a sac fly, and Tanner brought home Sellars on a run-scoring double.
The wheels fell off for the Sand Sharks in the bottom of the ninth, as the Gyrene offense exploded for seven runs. The seven-run inning forced extra innings tied at 9-9.
Despite going into extras, the Sand Sharks were strong from the get-go. Brock Thibodeaux led off with a single, and he was able to move to third thanks to a Gyrene error. The Sand Sharks were able to get the bases loaded with two outs. With Ambrose up to bat and two outs in the 10th, he came up clutch with a bases-clearing, three RBI double to push USCB ahead by three, 12-9.
MacPherson made his first appearance of the series, and he was stellar. He struck out two Gyrenes en route to working a 1-2-3 frame and sealing the series win for the Sand Sharks.
TEAM RECORD UPDATES
USCB - 24-24 overall, 11-13 Sun Conference
Ave Maria - 27-22-1 overall, 8-13 Sun Conference
WHAT'S NEXT?
The series win over Ave Maria conclude the Sun Conference season for USCB, but the Sand Sharks will jump out of conference by traveling to the reigning NAIA National Champions - Georgia Gwinnett. The Sand Sharks and Grizzlies will face off in a three-game set from April 29-30 in Lawrenceville, Ga.
