Sand Sharks continue success on opening day

The USCB softball team opened the 2017 season with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Montreat on Saturday at Richard Gray Sports Complex.

USCB cruised to an 8-0 victory in six innings in the opener and rallied for a 5-3 win in the nightcap. The Sand Sharks improved to 12-0 all-time on opening day and have outscored opponents 123-17 in those games.

GAME 1

The Sand Sharks didn’t waste any time getting the offense going as Alexa Moore started her red-hot day at the plate with a two-run single in the first inning. USCB added an unearned run in the second and another in the fourth on Marissa Becker’s RBI groundout for a 4-0 lead.

Taylor Boykin picked up an RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth and the Sand Sharks ended it early with three runs in the sixth on Moore’s RBI single, Jordan Roney’s run-scoring groundout and Alex Adams’ game-ending bases-loaded walk.

Sophomore Abby Pac pitched a gem for USCB, allowing two hits and two walks in a complete-game shutout with five strikeouts. Pac didn’t allow a hit until Ashlyn Vickers singled leading off the fifth inning and at one point retired 11 straight batters.

Bojangles’ Player of the Game: Alexa Moore (2-for-4, 3 RBIs)

GAME 2

USCB used a four-run fifth inning to rally past the Cavaliers and held off a seventh-inning surge in the nightcap.

Moore again powered the offense, starting the scoring with an RBI single in the first and driving in the tying run to start the outburst in the fifth.

The Cavaliers took a 2-1 lead with the aid of two Sand Shark errors in the third inning, but USCB strung together four hits in the fifth to take control. Lauren Weidig followed Moore’s RBI single with a run-scoring groundout to plate the go-ahead run, Carrie Cochran pushed across another run with a bunt single, and Natassja Hatcher plated a run with a sacrifice fly.

Montreat scored an unearned run in the seventh and had the tying run at the plate before Naomi Catt nailed down the save in relief of Roney, who gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits over five innings with five strikeouts.

This story was originally published February 4, 2017 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Sand Sharks continue success on opening day."