MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - No. 24 St. Thomas (24-13, 9-5 TSC) beat No. 6 USCB (31-5, 13-2 The Sun Conference) 9-4 in the final game of a three-game series at Paul Demie Mainieri Field.  
 
USC Beaufort started the first inning off with a 1-0 lead until Jose Gomez hit his second home run in the bottom the first to tie the game. The Sand Sharks took back the lead in the third to go up 2-1, but their lead didn't last long. Gomez came through again with his second RBI on a single to score Bryan Bermudez, which tied the game at 2-2. The Bobcats continued with a fielder's choice by Steven Fischer (RBI) scoring Gomez to take the lead 3-2. Kendrick Gutierrez blasted an RBI double to left center, scoring pinch runner Michael Sanchez.
 
The Sand Sharks got another run on the board in the fifth to draw within one run. In the bottom of the fifth, Michael Centeno hits his fourth home run of the season with a solo shot to center field to increase the lead 5-3. STU kept it going with an Oscar Aguirre RBI single scoring Gomez. In the sixth Centeno recorded his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Gomez. USC Beaufort scored one run in the seventh to work their way back. STU responded with a solo home run by Aguirre, his fifth of the season, in the bottom of the seventh and a pinch hit by Jack Diaz for an RBI double to right center scoring Oscar Rodriguez in the eighth.
 
STU pitching set the tone as starter Andrew Denis who allowed three earned runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts over five innings. Closing out the final four innings with outstanding pitching was reliever Erne Valdes who allowed one earned run off only three hits with two walks and a whopping eight strikeouts. St. Thomas pitchers combined for ten strikeouts in the game.
 
Next up for the Bobcats is a road game at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. Sunday April 3^rd at 1 p.m.