ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team faced Eckerd College on the road Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader. The Tritons used three straight multi-run innings to jump out to an early lead before closing out a 12-2 victory. In game two, Eckerd used a two-run first inning to take an early lead and secured a 5-0 win.
USCB is now 10-28 on the season following the doubleheader, while Eckerd improves to 26-9.
GAME ONE:
The Sand Sharks were led by Tyler Gundelfinger in game one, as he recorded a hit and two RBIs. He was one of four players to tally a hit in the game. Cooper McDaniel and Luke Doty each scored a run.
The game started as a pitching duel, with two and a half scoreless innings before Eckerd struck first in the bottom of the third. The Tritons used a walk and a wild pitch to set up a runner in scoring position before an RBI groundout scored the game's first run. An error followed by an RBI single brought in two more runs, giving Eckerd a 3-0 lead.
Eckerd added to its lead in the fourth inning, opening with a single and a walk before a throwing error pushed across two runs to make it 5-0. A sacrifice fly extended the lead to 6-0, and an RBI double made it 7-0 through four innings.
The Tritons continued in the fifth inning, adding to their 7-0 lead with an RBI single and a wild pitch to make it 9-0. A double by Kam Gelwick extended the lead to 11-0.
USCB got on the board in the sixth inning after McDaniel and Doty reached base to start the inning. Gundelfinger drove both runners in with a two-RBI double to left field.
Eckerd closed out the 12-2 win in seven innings in the opening game of the series.
GAME TWO:
In the second game, Gundelfinger, Kris Levensteins, and Andrew Walters each recorded a hit. Walters reached base four times, drawing three walks.
Eckerd struck in the first inning on a passed ball, and a groundout brought in another run to give the Tritons a 2-0 lead.
The game settled into a pitcher's duel, with four straight scoreless innings through the middle frames before Eckerd extended its lead in the sixth.
After a double and a single to start the inning, a two-RBI single pushed the lead to 4-0. A fielder's choice added another run, making it 5-0.
The Tritons closed out the 5-0 win, working around a hit in the seventh inning and two baserunners in the ninth.
Game three is scheduled for Sunday at noon to close out the three-game series in Florida.