USC Beaufort splits on opening day at NAIA Baseball Tournament

The USC Beaufort baseball team is off to a good start on the first day of the NAIA Tournament.

The fourth-seeded Sand Sharks defeated Fisher, 7-2, on Monday at the double-elimination Lakeland Regional in Winter Haven, Fla.

USC Beaufort (32-21) lost 10-5 to Southeastern later on Monday in the second game of the day. The San

In the opener, Leandry Castro and Kyran Russ each hit a pair of three-run homers in the win. Castro’s three-run homer in the third put the Sand Sharks up 4-0. Russ’ three-run blast in the fifth made it 7-2.

Clint Sellers was 1-for-2 with a double and RBI for USCB.

Micah Krieghauser struck out five and allowed three runs on four hits in six innings to pick up the win. Eamon Collins got the save.

Mitchell Lundholm homered in the loss for Fisher.

USC Beaufort is making its first NAIA Tournament since 2016 when it went 1-2 that year in the Savannah regional. The Sand Sharks entered the postseason by winning 11 of their last 15 games to earn the at-large spot.

USC Beaufort made it to the championship game of the Sun Conference tournament chmpionship which helped them earn an at-large spot.

The winner of the Lakeland regional moves on to the NAIA World Series on May 28-June 4 in Idaho.

This story was originally published May 17, 2021 at 1:42 PM.