Kinlaw’s no-hitter highlights softball sweep
Brackin Lambert
uscbathletics.com
Cierra Kinlaw tossed a five-inning no-hitter in the opener, and the bats stayed hot, as USCB picked up two run-rule victories over Savannah State on Saturday, winning 9-0 and 10-1 to improve to 7-1 on the season.
Kinlaw was locked in from the opening pitch as she struck out two of the first three. The Sand Sharks’ potent offense continued to shine, scoring three in the first with back-to-back run-scoring doubles from Addie Reynolds and Devon Weller. USCB added a solo run in the third thanks to Jaden Goodwin’s RBI single to center. The junior added two more RBIs to her tally the following inning after ripping a single into right.
Reynolds added another run batted in in the fourth with a double down the left-field line and Chang added to her team-leading RBI total with a run-scoring base knock to make it 9-0. Kinlaw set the Tigers down 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth to complete the no-hitter and pick up her third win of the year.
Beaufort’s offense backed a strong outing from Abigail Ramirez in game two, as the right-hander picked up her first win of the year with four innings of one-run ball. The Sand Sharks used a five-run first inning to jump on SSU’s starter thanks to RBIs from Weller and Chang. Mariah Stephens capped the scoring with a tape-measure shot to left, her third home run of the season.
The Tigers added an unearned run in the second, but that’s the only run Savannah State could push across. Reynolds picked up two more RBIs with a single in the second, and Goodwin added two of her own the following inning. Goodwin is hitting an astounding .727 and has a 1.823 OPS.
USCB hits the road to North Carolina for a four-game round-robin against Mt. Olive and West Liberty next weekend. The Sand Sharks open Saturday against the Hilltoppers before playing the host Trojans.
Hoops struggle on road
Kevaughn Price and Larry Bulluck each scored 14 points and Marcus Overstreet added 10 for USCB men’s basketball Saturday on the road, but Georgia Southwestern shot better than 60 percent from the three-point line in the second half to knock off USCB, 101-71, at the Strom Dome.
The Sand Sharks were down by 10 at the half and trimmed the lead to four early in the second half, but that’s when the Canes started knocking down a wave of triples. A 30-8 run over seven minutes gave GSW all the momentum.
It was the third straight loss for the Sand Shark men, who fell 94-69 at Lander on Wednesday. Nolan Paladugu scored a team-high 15 points and Overstreet collected his 10th double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, but USCB shot just 22 percent in the first half and couldn’t overcome a 21-point halftime deficit.
USCB’s women were further depleted by injury in an 86-57 loss at Lander on Wednesday, resulting in the Sand Sharks forfeiting Saturday’s game at Georgia Southwestern, citing “health and safety concerns” due to an insufficient number of healthy players.
USCB returns home to face Georgia College on Wednesday and welcomes North Georgia to The Cove on Saturday.
Baseball swept by No. 2 NGU
After rallying for a 6-3 home win over Edward Waters on Wednesday to improve to 3-1, USCB baseball took on a stiff challenge over the weekend with a three-game road set against No. 2 North Greenville.
Josh Patterson gave the Sand Sharks a solid start in the opener, but the Crusaders got to the big right-hander in the fifth and sixth and broke it open for an 8-1 win. USCB went toe-to-toe with the second-ranked team in NCAA Division II in Saturday’s opener, rallying twice to tie it before falling 8-7. The Crusaders cruised to a 16-0 win in the finale.
The Sand Sharks (3-4) travel to St. Leo for a three-game set starting Friday.
