Bases-loaded situations go wanting as USCB drops baseball finale

Mclean Hartz singled twice and drove home two runs, but USC Beaufort squandered a pair of bases-loaded opportunities in the final three innings as the Sand Sharks dropped an 8-5 decision to 14th-ranked Georgia Gwinnett in Sunday's regular-season finale.

USCB scored just one run over the final five innings, using Nick Payne's RBI single in the seventh to pull within three. The Sand Sharks had the bases loaded with one out before hitting into an inning-ending double play.

In the ninth, three straight walks loaded the bases before Grizzlies closer Stone Kelly worked out of the jam. In all, the Sand Sharks left 11 runners stranded.

USCB had taken a 4-2 advantage with two runs in the fourth when Hartz singled home a run and Thomas Estopare added a sacrifice fly. Marcus McCorkle put GGC on top one inning later with a bases-loaded triple, and the Grizzlies added three more in the sixth.

The Sand Sharks now prepare for this weekend's Sun Conference tournament in Fort Myers, Fla., where they open Friday against No.2 seed Southeastern.

This story was originally published May 1, 2017 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Bases-loaded situations go wanting as USCB drops baseball finale."