USCB baseball completed a home-and-home sweep of Brewton-Parker on Thursday and Friday, defeating the Barons 12-6 on the road and 6-0 in Hardeeville before Friday’s final game of the series was suspended due to rain.
Brewton Parker struck first on its home field Thursday in the second inning, drawing four walks and scoring on an error to grab a 1-0 lead. But the Sand Sharks battled back in the fourth, as Brian Meyer belted a two-run triple before scoring on a wild pitch to go up 3-1. The Barons cut the lead to one in the bottom half, but USCB exploded for five runs in the fifth to take a commanding 8-2 advantage. Clint Sellars, Alexander Humphery, and Nick Milhan notched three straight hits, and Jake Tanner drove in a run via an RBI-single before Meyer plated two as the Sand Sharks ballooned the lead to six.
After adding another run in the top of the seventh, USCB’s defense came up clutch in the home half, pulling off a rare triple play to hold the Barons off the board. Benjamin Harris lined a pitch straight to Brock Thibodeaux, and the second baseman promptly stepped on the bag before throwing a strike to first to turn three. Fueled by the defensive gem, USCB tacked on three more runs in the eighth before the Barons answered with four to make it a 12-6 ballgame. Jack Wood finished off the victory in the bottom of the ninth, allowing just one batter to reach and striking out two.
USCB’s offense dominated all game long, posting 12 runs on 17 hits including five going for extra bases. Meyer led the charge at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a double, triple, and four RBIs alongside a pair of stolen bases. Milhan was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, and Tanner had a productive day with two singles, an RBI, and a walk. Scott Matthews earned the win on the mound with a strong start, surrendering two runs on three hits with an impressive seven strikeouts.
USCB’s Brandon Blume delivered a gem at Richard Gray Stadium on Friday, tossing a 10-strikeout complete-game shutout to lead the Sand Sharks to a second win in as many days. The offense continued its momentum back at home, as Leandy Castro smoked a solo home run in the bottom of the first. After a pair of slow frames in the second and third, the Sand Sharks plated a four-run fourth. Kyran Russ went yard for USCB’s second homer of the day, and Meyer smacked a two-run double before Sellars added a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-0. Castro added another RBI in the sixth with a single to left field, and Blume capped off his memorable day with a 1-2-3 seventh to finish off his complete-game shutout.
Blume showed off his excellent command and poise on the mound, scattering just three hits and one walk through seven innings while racking up an incredible 10 strikeouts. Castro led the offense with a 3-for-4 game alongside a homer and two RBI, and Sellars was 2-for-3 while driving in a run.
The Barons and the Sand Sharks began a second game on Friday, as Brewton-Parker scored a pair of runs to take an early 2-0 lead. USCB was looking to strike in the second with a Milhan double and a Russ walk and stolen base to put runners on second and third, but the game was halted and eventually suspended to heavy rain. The contest will resume on Feb. 22, with Jake Tanner facing an 0-2 count with runners on second and third and one out.
USCB (3-4) is back in action at home Tuesday against Savannah State.
By Wes Kerr
Some local sports content that is not sponsored is now available only to LowcoSports.com’s Patreon supporters. Pledge your monthly support here for as little as $1 per month to ensure you have access to all of our grassroots LOCAL sports coverage!