AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort softball team faced USC Aiken in a Sunday doubleheader to close out the regular season before the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. The Pacers took both games from the Sand Sharks in the twin bill, with each contest decided by one run.
The Sand Sharks finish the regular season with a 30-21 overall record and a 12-15 mark in conference play.
GAME ONE:
USC Aiken jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and stayed in front the entire game, ultimately securing a 3-2 win and holding off a late Sand Sharks comeback.
Catharine Conway led the team with three hits, going a perfect 3-for-3 in the opener. Emma Jackson added a hit and an RBI, while Alyssa Rose drove in the other run in the loss.
Cassie Brundage pitched 3 2/3 innings, striking out two and allowing no runs in her outing.
Conway led off the game with a single and a stolen base, but three straight flyouts ended the inning before the Pacers struck first. A leadoff single and a sacrifice bunt set up a sacrifice fly, giving USC Aiken a 1-0 lead.
USCA added a double in the bottom of the second, but starter Emily Morgan worked out of trouble to keep the game within one run.
In the third inning, USCB looked to tie the game with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and second. However, a strikeout and a flyout ended the threat. In the bottom half, a wild pitch brought in a run, and a bases-loaded walk extended the lead to 3-0.
The score remained 3-0 until the top of the fifth, when Chloe Turner led off with a double. Later in the inning, Rose hit a sacrifice fly to score pinch runner Avery Alexander, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Trailing 3-1 entering the final inning, the Sand Sharks attempted a comeback. A leadoff single was followed by an RBI single from Emma Jackson, scoring Katelyn Boyette and making it 3-2. USCB added another baserunner with a walk by Sydney Kibler, but a fielder's choice ended the game, giving the Pacers the 3-2 win in game one.
GAME TWO:
In the second game, Catharine Conway recorded two hits, while Tamiyah Whitlock added a hit and an RBI. Alyssa Rose and Emma Brinkman each contributed a hit as well. Madison Murphy pitched a complete game, striking out eight.
Game two was a pitcher's duel, as both teams battled through consecutive scoreless innings to start the game off. It was the Pacers who broke through in the third inning. As a leadoff double started the rally, followed by a sacrifice bunt that moved the runner to third. A two-out RBI single then gave USC Aiken a 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the fifth inning. A leadoff single by Rose set up a sacrifice bunt to move her into scoring position, and Whitlock delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. Murphy worked around a one-out double in the bottom of the inning to keep the game even.
The game stayed tied at 1-1 into the bottom of the seventh, when the Pacers secured a walk-off victory. After two strikeouts to begin the inning, back-to-back singles sparked a two-out rally, culminating in a game-winning RBI single for a 2-1 final.
Next up for the Sand Sharks is the opening round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
