Sand Sharks use late runs to finally pull away from St. Thomas

Nick Payne and Nick Graham drove home two runs apiece to back a complete game by Wade Arduini, leading USC Beaufort to a 6-3 victory over St. Thomas in Friday’s opener of their three-game Sun Conference series in Hardeeville.

Arduini (3-0) scattered seven hits and struck out seven, holding the Bobcats hitless over the final three innings as he set down nine of the last 10 batters he faced. A two-out walk in the ninth was the only baserunner he allowed in that span.

The Sand Sharks broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the fifth, taking advantage of a St. Thomas error to score the go-ahead run before Justin Kortessis followed with an RBI single.

After the Bobcats pulled within a run in the sixth, Payne’s two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the inning created a little cushion for USCB. Payne finished with three hits on the day.

The victory pushed the Sand Sharks one game ahead of St. Thomas for fourth place in the Sun Conference standings.

This story was originally published March 18, 2017 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Sand Sharks use late runs to finally pull away from St. Thomas."