By Wes Kerr
LowcoSports.com
USCB baseball salvaged the final game of its weekend series with a comeback victory Saturday, defeating Georgetown College 6-5 at Richard Gray Stadium in Hardeeville.
After dropping the first three games of the series, the Sand Sharks looked to flip the script early, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Trusty leadoff hitter Robbie Brown got it started with a single to right-center, and Leandy Castro cranked a triple to plate Brown before Brian Meyer made it 2-0 on an RBI ground out.
USCB’s lead didn’t hold up for long, as the Tigers scored four in the second to take a 4-2 lead. But the Sand Sharks pounced right back in the bottom half, as a Clint Sellars leadoff double led to a Jake Tanner RBI single. Nick Milhan’s base hit put two men in scoring position, and Brown tied the game at 4 with a sacrifice fly.
After a hot start for both lineups, Georgetown’s Mathew Flores and USCB’s Cam Dimidjian each pitched a scoreless third and fourth frame. After a defensive and pitching showcase in the middle innings, the Tigers took a 5-4 lead in the sixth on a Kyo Arita RBI-groundout.
But the Sand Sharks mounted a rally in the eighth, as a Meyer leadoff double and Kyran Russ triple tied the game at 5. With runners on first and third and one out, Tanner jumped on the first pitch he saw and drove in Russ to give his team the 6-5 lead.
Payton MacPherson was looking to finish off his own win after allowing a single and recording two outs in the ninth, but a wild pitch prompted Ted Falkner to turn to closer Tucker Perry. The Sand Shark defense came up huge to finish off the win, as second baseman Wesley Ambrose made a sensational diving play before an underhand toss to Tanner retired Joshua Duarte and denied Georgetown a series sweep.
Tanner was clutch at the dish, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI including the go-ahead single. Castro was 2-for-4 with a triple, and Sellars added a double. MacPherson earned the win with a tremendous performance in relief, holding down a strong Tiger offense in 4 2/3 innings with just one run and four hits allowed, while recording five strikeouts. Tucker Perry finished the job in the ninth, notching the final out to earn his first save of the season.
USCB (4-7) was scheduled to face St. Andrew’s at home on Tuesday.
