HARDEEVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort softball team opened a three-game series against Georgia Southwestern on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader. The two teams split the opening two games of the series.
GAME ONE:
Saria Simmons and Katelyn Boyette led the team with two hits each, while Boyette also scored twice. Tamiyah Whitlock, Saria Simmons, Taelor Chang, and Alyssa Rose each recorded an RBI, including a home run by Chang.
Madison Murphy pitched a complete game, earning the win with seven strikeouts.
After a scoreless first inning, Taelor Chang hit a solo home run to left field in the second inning to give the Sand Sharks an early 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, USCB threatened again with two runners on base, but the Hurricanes escaped the jam to keep the score at 1-0.
Georgia Southwestern tied the game in the fourth inning. A walk and a stolen base set up an RBI single to make it 1-1.
USCB responded in the bottom half of the inning when Alyssa Rose drove in Katelyn Boyette to give the Sand Sharks a 2-1 lead.
Georgia Southwestern loaded the bases later in the game, but Murphy escaped without allowing any runs, preserving the 2-1 advantage. In the bottom of the inning, USCB recorded three hits but could not add to the lead.
In the sixth inning, the Sand Sharks extended their lead. Tamiyah Whitlock drove in Boyette, followed by Simmons driving in Avery Alexander to make it 4-1.
Murphy sealed the victory with a perfect seventh inning, completing the 4-1 win and securing the opening game of the series.
GAME TWO:
Alyssa Rose led the Sand Sharks offense with two hits, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Catharine Conway and Caleigh Eubanks each recorded three hits.
After a scoreless top of the first, the Sand Sharks struck early. The first three batters reached base before Taelor Chang drove in the first run. Caleigh Eubanks followed with a two-RBI single to make it 3-0. Later in the inning, Alyssa Rose added another RBI to extend the lead to 4-0.
USCB continued to build momentum in the second inning. After a leadoff single by Catharine Conway, Tamiyah Whitlock delivered an RBI triple to push the lead to 5-0.
The Hurricanes got on the board following a Sand Shark error, cutting the lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the third, Conway drove in Alyssa Rose with an RBI single to restore a five-run advantage.
The fourth inning proved to be the turning point. Georgia Southwestern scored eight runs in the inning, beginning with a run on an error to make it 6-2. A bases-loaded walk cut the lead to 6-3, followed by a two-RBI single to make it 6-5. Two batters later, an RBI single tied the game at 6-6. McDonald then hit a three-run home run to give the Hurricanes a 9-6 lead.
USCB answered with a run on a Chloe Turner RBI single, scoring Margaret Griffin to cut the deficit to 9-7.
Georgia Southwestern added two more runs in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 11-7.
Trailing by four, the Sand Sharks rallied with back-to-back home runs. Alyssa Rose hit a two-run homer to center field, followed by an MJ Stradinger solo home run to make it 11-10.
GSW added two runs in the seventh inning on consecutive RBI singles to increase the lead to 13-10.
USCB continued to fight, as a one-out walk led to an RBI double, bringing the tying run to the plate at 13-11. After a single and a walk loaded the bases, a groundout to the pitcher ended the game and secured the win for Georgia Southwestern.
The series concludes Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Senior Day recognition will follow the game.
