Abby Pac wins duel as USCB closes in on softball tournament berth

Abby Pac tossed a four-hitter and Haley Hawkins put USC Beaufort ahead to stay with an RBI single in the sixth as the Sand Sharks moved closer to a berth in the Sun Conference softball tournament Friday with a 2-1 triumph over No.24 Warner.

The victory boosted USCB to a two-game advantage over Keiser in the chase for the final spot in the conference tournament. The Sand Sharks can lock up the berth with one win in Saturday’s doubleheader to close the regular season.

Pac outdueled Warner’s Chelsie Valentine in a matchup of aces, retiring 11 of the final 12 batters she faced after Warner put runners at second and third with one out in the fourth. Valentine allowed just five USCB hits over six innings, striking out eight.

The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, but the Sand Sharks tied it in the fourth on Natassja Hatcher’s sacrifice fly. Singles by Taylor Boykin and Marissa Becker to open the sixth set up Hawkins for the go-ahead single.

Becker went 2-for-3 on the afternoon, giving her 199 career hits and moving within one of tying Missy Hughes and Taylor Triplett for the USCB record.

This story was originally published April 22, 2017 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Abby Pac wins duel as USCB closes in on softball tournament berth."