ORANGEBURG, SC - The Claflin Panthers (4-26, 1-20 PBC) secured their first Peach Belt Conference win since April 20, 2022 when they took an 8-7 win over the USC Beaufort Sand Sharks (10-26, 4-20 PBC), Saturday afternoon. Claflin senior outfielder
Torian Bunkley hit a walk off three-run home run to give the Panthers the win. The Panthers took the win in dramatic fashion as senior utility
Torian Bunkley hit a walk-off three-run home run to give the Panthers their historic victory.
The game featured some great play by both teams. In the early going, great pitching defined the game with USC Beaufort scoring the sole run in the first five innings of a great pitching duel. The Panthers broke things open with five sixth inning runs to take a 5-1 lead. From there, the Panthers allowed six unanswered runs to the Sand Sharks leading and leaving the Panthers trailing, 7-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The stage was set for a dramatic ninth inning. Claflin junior
LeAndre Turner got things started with a single while senior junior
Tyler Gilbert added a single of his own. With the back-to-back hits, the stage was set for Bunkley who stepped to the plate and he delivered with a walk-off three-run home run to seal the win.
The Panthers did the bulk of their damage at the plate with 10 hits in the game. Turner led the way, going two-for-five with two runs scored and a run batted in (RBI). Junior right field Cristian Hill went one-for-five with a run scored. Junior first base
Tyler Gilbert added a tow-for-four effort with an RBI.
Claflin senior Xavier got the game start and he put on a dominating performance on the mound. He threw 7.1 innings and he only allowed three runs scored with five strikeouts. Claflin sophomore
Travyon Taylor (2-0) got the pitching win.
With the win, the Panthers improve to 4-26 and 1-20 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) play. The team will return to action next weekend when they host the Middle Georgia State Knights in a three-game series. The teams will kick off the weekend with a 6:00 p.m. game on Friday.
For more information on Panthers baseball, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletics Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to
www.athletics.claflin.edu.
