USCB sophomore Katie Rietkovich hits a game-ending grand slam to finish a three-game sweep of Warner
HARDEEVILLE, S.C. — As slumps go, the one Katie Rietkovich found herself in going into Saturday's Sun Conference doubleheader against Warner hardly qualified.
Sure, the University of South Carolina Beaufort second baseman had gone 7-for-28 with no home runs and only two RBIs in her previous seven games, but she was still hitting over .500.
Still, she hadn't hit a home run in nine games — after blasting two in her first five games at USCB — and she needed something to help her break out.
She found it — and deposited it beyond the left-field fence for a game-ending grand slam to give the Sand Sharks a 9-6 win and a three-game sweep in their first Sun Conference series. USCB won the first game of the doubleheader 9-0 in five innings.
"Oh, it was right down the middle. I'm not gonna lie," said Rietkovich, who also hit a three-run home run in the day's first game. "She had been jamming me inside all day, so I just kind of backed off the plate and was sitting on an inside screwball. And that's what she threw me."
After breezing to easy wins in the first two games of the series, the Sand Sharks (15-2, 3-0 Sun Conference) found themselves in a hole in the final game.
The Royals (8-7, 0-3) jumped on ace Kristy Cook for a 5-0 lead before USCB began to claw back in the fourth.
"We knew it was going to be hard to beat them three times, and when they got up on us, some of us kind of got down a little bit," Rietkovich said. "But as soon as we got that first run, we knew we were right back in the thing."
The Sand Sharks scored three in the fourth and two in the fifth to tie it but found themselves needing another rally when the Royals regained the lead 6-5 in the top of the seventh.
Victoria Hilton walked to lead off the inning, Amanda Brown reached on an error and Chelsey Blasingame beat out a bunt to load the bases for Rietkovich, who rediscovered her power stroke and set off a celebration at home plate.
"It kind of sends a little message to people that we're here and we're here to win," Rietkovich said. "We're not just here to play in the conference. We're here to win it all."