Sand Sharks sweep Trinity Baptist, push win streak to 8

The USC Beaufort baseball team ran its winning streak to eight games and avenged its lone defeat of the season Tuesday, sweeping a doubleheader from visiting Trinity Baptist at Richard Gray Sports Complex in Hardeeville.

The Sand Sharks rallied for three runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth to claim a 7-5 victory in the opener and jumped on the Eagles early in a 10-5 win in the finale.

USCB (9-1) fell behind early in the first game and trailed 5-1 heading to the bottom of the fifth inning. Nick Payne's solo home run down the right-field line leading off the inning started the comeback, and Matt Kianka followed with a two-run double into the right-field corner later in the inning.

Brandon Joyce came through with the biggest hit of the game an inning later, fouling off nine straight 3-2 pitches before lacing a double to left-center to score the tying and go-ahead runs.

The rally made Joe Schaffhauser (1-0) the winning pitcher after allowing two hits over 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Paxton Buckner, who surrendered five runs (two earned) and three hits in 4 1/3 frames. Blake Drew struck out two and walked one in a scoreless seventh for his first save of the season.

Joyce finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, Payne was 2-for-3, and Kianka was 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs.

No comeback was necessary in the second game, as USCB struck for three runs in the second and six in the third. Thomas Estopare went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, and Dylan Yankle was 3-for-4 to lead the Sand Sharks' 15-hit attack. Max Balter was 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBIs, Charlie McGinnis was 2-for-3, and Kianka and Joyce each had two RBIs.

Zach Massengale (1-0) pitched four scoreless innings for the win, allowing one hit and striking out one.

The Sand Sharks look to keep their hot streak going during a key Sun Conference series this weekend, hosting No. 15 Keiser for a three-game set. The teams are scheduled for a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Friday and a single game at noon Saturday.

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 7:53 PM with the headline "Sand Sharks sweep Trinity Baptist, push win streak to 8."