HARDEEVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team faced the University of South Carolina Aiken in the final game of the series. The Sand Sharks used a seven-run sixth inning to take the lead, which they held for the remainder of the game, securing an 11–7 victory over the Pacers.
USCB improves to 6–23 on the season with a 1–17 conference record, while USC Aiken falls to 21–9 overall and 10–5 in conference play.
The Sand Sharks' offense led the way, as six different players recorded at least two hits in the win. Tyler Gundelfinger had two hits, three RBIs, and a run scored, while Jon Davis posted a team-high three hits. Cooper McDaniel and Kris Levensteins each added two RBIs.
Jake Rice pitched a scoreless inning earning the win for the game before Cole Thomas pitched the last 2.2 innings to earn his first save of the season.
USC Aiken opened the game with a leadoff single and a stolen base before an RBI single brought home the game's first run for a 1–0 lead.
The Sand Sharks answered in the bottom half, starting with a leadoff walk by Noah Campbell. A double by Luke Doty moved both runners into scoring position. A wild pitch scored Campbell, and an RBI single by Gundelfinger gave USCB a 2–1 lead.
After a perfect 1-2-3 inning in the second, the Sand Sharks extended their lead. TJ McCluney reached on a leadoff walk, stole second, and later scored on an RBI sacrifice fly to make it 3–1.
USCB held the 3–1 advantage until the fourth inning, when USC Aiken tied the game. A single, followed by an RBI triple and an RBI double, evened the score at 3–3. The Pacers regained the lead in the fifth inning, scoring two runs on a leadoff double, an RBI single, and a wild pitch to go ahead 5–3.
The Sand Sharks responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Campbell led off with a single and later scored on a Doty RBI single, cutting the deficit to 5–4.
USCB then took control in the sixth inning with a seven-run outburst. Terry Dean led off with a double, and Levensteins followed with a single to put runners on the corners. McCluney tied the game with a sacrifice bunt that scored Dean. McDaniel delivered a go-ahead single to make it 6–5. Gundelfinger followed with a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 8–5.
The inning continued as Tanner Wagnon added an RBI single. Later, Levensteins capped the rally with a two-RBI single to left field, pushing the lead to 11–5.
The Pacers added two more runs, one in the seventh and one in the eighth, and brought the tying run to the plate. However, Cole Thomas escaped the inning with a flyout and closed out the game with a perfect 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.
USCB returns to action on the road against Columbus State University in Columbus for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:00 p.m.
