Sand Sharks hand new coach resounding victory in baseball opener

Alex Murphy’s grand slam capped a 10-run third inning for USC Beaufort, helping the Sand Sharks ring in new coach Jeremy Christian’s tenure in rousing fashion Wednesday with a 19-4 opening romp over St. Andrews.

The Sand Sharks sent 13 batters to the plate in the third, which ended with USCB leading 14-0 and allowed Christian – hired from Point University in the summer after Bryan Lewallyn departed for Pensacola State College – to get every position player into the game. Fourteen players in all collected hits.

Murphy went 2-for-3 on the day with four RBIs, while Michael Grunder drove in three runs after coming off the bench. Thomas Estopare, Bobby Wenthe and Mclean Hartz each finished with a pair of RBIs.

The offensive fireworks overshadowed a solid outing from USCB’s pitching staff, with Zac Burke earning the win by limiting St. Andrews to one hit and two walks in three scoreless innings.

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Sand Sharks hand new coach resounding victory in baseball opener."