SOFTBALL
Sand Sharks stay perfect in 2020
USCB’s softball team ran its record to 6-0 on the season with a pair of hard-fought wins over visiting St. Andrew’s on Sunday at Richard Gray Sports Complex.
The Sand Sharks held off a late rally from the Knights for a 4-3 win in the opener, then held St. Andrew’s scoreless for the first six innings of a 3-1 victory in the finale.
Sloan Ducey (2-0) picked up the win in the first game, allowing four hits and one walk over four scoreless innings with two strikeouts, and Caitlin Toole got out of a jam in the seventh to earn the save. Taylor Boykin was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Amber Locasto was 2-for-3 with a double and a triple, and Mackenzie Freeman and Haley Hawkins each had one hit and one RBI.
Maria Molloseau (3-0) pitched a gem for the Sand Sharks in the second game, allowing one unearned run and three hits in a complete game with three strikeouts and no walks. Hoolie Garcia was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Hawkins and Rachel Frankhouser each drove in a run for USCB.
USCB rallies for walkoff win
USCB’s softball team stayed unbeaten with a home sweep of Columbia International on Saturday, capped by Bri Dunn’s sacrifice fly to give the Sand Sharks a walkoff win in the nightcap.
Maria Molloseau struck out six and allowed two runs and seven hits in a complete game to earn the win in USCB’s 5-2 win in the opener. Emily Martin was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Kaitlyn O’Hearn and Mackenzie Freeman had RBI singles, and Dunn plated a run with a sacrifice fly.
The Rams led 5-2 after three innings before USCB put together a four-run rally in the fourth. CIU tied it in the sixth to force extra innings, but Dunn’s fly ball to left in the seventh scored Emily Phillips with the winning run in a 7-6 victory. Haley Hawkins and Freeman each had two RBIs, and Jodi Hatcher was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Caitlin O’Toole earned the win in relief, allowing one unearned run on three hits with three strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.
BASEBALL
Sand Sharks swept by visiting Skyhawks
USCB’s baseball team found itself on the wrong end of a three-game sweep against visiting Point (Ga.) over the weekend.
The Skyhawks won Friday’s opener 4-1, as USCB managed only five hits against Keagan Spradlin and two relievers. Eamonn Collins took the loss, allowing two runs and five hits over five innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Leandy Castro drove in the only run for the Sand Sharks with an RBI double.
Point claimed the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader 6-3 behind another strong pitching performance, as the Sand Sharks managed only six hits. USCB had a chance to get back in the game when it loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth, but the Skyhawks got out of the jam to preserve a 6-1 lead. Noah Matthews had a two-run triple for USCB, and Matt Malatesta (3 IP, 5 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 1 K) took the loss.
The Sand Sharks seemed poised to salvage the series finale when a six-run fourth inning gave them an 8-2 lead, but the Skyhawks dinged the USCB bullpen for a seven-run sixth inning. Nick Milhan was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Matthews was 2-for-4, Castro was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Mathew Morgan was 1-for-3 with a two-run double. Jacob Judy took the loss in relief of Harrison Bell (5 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 K).
