HARDEEVILLE, S.C. — Baseball team salvaged another doubleheader split against No. 21 University of South Carolina Beaufort with an offensive outburst leading the way to a 15-9 victory in the second game. That was a bounce-back performance after dropping the opening game, 7-4. The Bears now sit at 2-2 overall after what was the opening weekend for both teams.
Shawnee State fell in an early whole in Game 1, allowing two runs in the first inning and another five runs in the fourth to trail 7-2. The Bears continued to trail 7-2 until the seventh inning, as Todd Queener started the last frame with a triple to right-center and scored an error to cut the lead to 7-3. Queener finished the game going 2-for-4 with an RBI with a double and triple in the game.
Calvin Sluberski reached on that error and advanced to second on the throw. Cody Spires then followed with a single to cut the lead to 7-4, however, Shawnee could not get anymore runs falling in Game 1.
The Bears once again fell being early 1-0 to the Sand Sharks in Game 2. However, Shawnee State exploded for six runs on seven hits in the third inning to give them a 6-1 lead. Sluberski's single to left field scored two runs and Spires followed with a single to center scoring Queener. Colin Keim followed with an RBI single to center field which was the fifth straight hit for the Bears in the inning.
Nolan West (1-0) got the start in game and did his part by tossing five strong innings and allowing three earned runs on five hits while walking only one. Leading 6-2 entering the fifth inning, the Bears scored a combined nine runs over the final three frames to beat the Sand Sharks 15-9. Jordan Williams, who tossed three scoreless innings yesterday, came on in relief and tossed one scoreless inning in the sixth. With the Bears leading 15-4, Andrew Kidd relieved Williams on the mound.
USCB rallied and was able to score five runs on three hits in the seventh before Kidd got JJ Crespo to ground out.
Baseball will be back on the road when it travels to Montgomery, Ala. next weekend to take on No. 9 Faulker University in a doubleheader on February 9. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
