By Wes Kerr
LowcoSports.com
Oliver Holmes spun a one-hit shutout Monday, and Beaufort High baseball routed Hilton Head High 11-0 on the road in five innings for a key Region 7-4A victory.
The Eagles opened the scoring in the second inning, as Zach Talbert sizzled a pitch down the left-field line to plate the first run of the game. Beaufort scored again in the third with a William Winburn line-drive single to center and kept the offense rolling in the fourth with a pair of RBI knocks by Talbert and Colin Peterson to build a 4-0 lead.
Holmes continued his strong day on the mound in the bottom half before the Eagles blew it wide open with seven in the fifth with multiple walks and errors setting the table for a Rhogue Wallace double. Holmes came right back and shut the door, grabbing three straight outs to cap off the run-rule shutout.
The senior pitcher impressed all night long, throwing all five innings and allowing just one hit and one walk while picking up four strikeouts. Talbert was a fantastic 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, and Wallace collected two hits including a double.
The win was a huge one for the Eagles after they dropped a 6-5 heartbreaker in the series finale with May River — a game that started on Wednesday but finished a day later.
The game was tied at 2 in the fourth when play was suspended Wednesday night, but the Eagles used a bit of small ball to push across two runs in the fifth and tacked on another in the sixth to build a three-run lead.
The Sharks’ four-run rally in the sixth began when Caleb Allinder was hit by a pitch and Zack Morillo drew a walk ahead of Cole Boyles’ RBI double to center to make it 5-3. Stokes also wore one to load the bases with two outs, and Danny Farrell delivered a two-run single to right to tie it. The throw home skipped away from the catcher, allowing Stokes to sprint home with the go-ahead run.
The Seahawks (8-7, 4-3) and Eagles (5-5, 3-2) were slated to meet up again Wednesday at Beaufort High.
Above: Beaufort’s James Davenport steals second base against May River High School as he dives head first to the bag just ahead of the throw Monday at Beaufort High School. The hosting Eagles defeated the Sharks, 13-3. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
