SAVANNAH, GEORGIA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team was on the road Tuesday for a midweek, non-conference matchup against Savannah State. The Sand Sharks jumped out early with a three-run first inning controlling the game, leading the entire way to a 10–7 victory.
USCB is now 8–25 on the season following the win.
The Sand Sharks recorded 14 hits in the game, with nine different players tallying at least one. Cooper McDaniel led the way with a three-hit performance, along with three runs scored and two RBIs. Luke Doty added two RBIs, tying for the team high, while Noah Campbell scored twice.
Jake Rice earned his fourth win of the season after striking out one over 5 1/3 innings of work. Carson Tillotson and Roy Tayman each had scoreless outings, recording one strikeout apiece. Cole Thomas pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his third save of the season.
The Sand Sharks set the tone early, putting runners on the corners with nobody out in the first inning. A double steal allowed Noah Campbell to score the game's first run. Luke Doty followed with an RBI, scoring McDaniel to make it 2–0. After a Tyler Gundelfinger single put runners on the corners again, Jon Davis added an RBI single to score Doty for a 3–0 lead.
Savannah State responded with a run in the second inning after a single and a walk led to an RBI groundout, cutting the lead to 3–1.
USCB answered in the third inning, loading the bases with nobody out. Cade Sikoski drew an RBI walk, forcing in Kris Levensteins to make it 4–1. McDaniel then delivered a two-RBI double to center field, scoring Mitchell Singletary and Nicholas Barcelo to extend the lead to 6–1.
The Tigers added two runs in the bottom of the third, starting with a leadoff single. A triple and a sacrifice fly brought the score to 6–3 through three innings.
Davis and Levensteins reached to start the next inning before a Mitchell Singletary RBI single scored Davis, pushing the lead to 7–3. USCB added another run when McDaniel singled and stole second, setting up a Tyler Gundelfinger RBI single to make it 8–3.
Savannah State rallied in the sixth inning, loading the bases before a two-RBI single cut the lead to 8–5. Another RBI single made it 8–6 through six innings.
The Sand Sharks added a run in the seventh when McDaniel reached to start the inning and later scored on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 9–6.
After the Tigers scored again, USCB responded with a Luke Doty RBI single to left-center field, scoring Campbell and making it 10–7.
In the ninth, Cole Thomas delivered a scoreless inning with a strikeout to seal the 10–7 victory.
The Sand Sharks return to action this weekend against Claflin University for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:00 p.m.
