HARDEEVILLE – The USCB baseball team finished off a four-game sweep of visiting Fisher (Mass.) on Saturday, pounding the Falcons 13-2 and 15-5 to continue the best start in program history. 

The Sand Sharks (24-3) racked up 33 hits in the doubleheader and have scored nine or more runs in eight of their last 11 games, including all four contests in the weekend series. 

Matt Kianka went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs in game 1, whileJustin Kortessis had a homer among his three hits and knocked in three runs and Thomas Estopare added three hits and three RBIs.Brandon Joyce also had three hits for the Sand Sharks.

USCB broke it open with seven runs in the second inning to chase Fisher ace Grayson Weber, who entered with a 0.33 ERA but allowed seven runs on seven hits before recording an out in the second. The Sand Sharks added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth before Kortessis blasted a two-run shot to left-center in the seventh for his second homer of the season. 

Julio De Pena (4-1) earned the win with six solid frames, allowing two runs – one earned – on six hits with seven strikeouts. Zach Massengale allowed one hit over three scoreless innings to earn the save. 

The Falcons took an early lead in the finale with two runs in the first, but USCB answered with two in the bottom of the inning and used an eight-run second to pull away. 

Joyce was 2-for-3 with four RBIs, Kal Davis went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Kortessis drove in three runs to lead the offense. Estopare hit his second homer of the season and drove in two runs, and Michael Johnson added two hits and an RBI. 

Paxton Buckner (1-0) started and allowed two runs over two innings for the win before Colin Tindall gave up three unearned runs in two innings, Forrest Kirsch worked a scoreless frame and Blake Drew pitched two scoreless innings.