State scoreboard, Friday, Jan. 31

Maurice Gomez was 6-for-6 with 8 RBI
in Game 2 of the Rams' sweep (CIU photo)

Player of the day: Maurice Gomez, Columbia International, 8-for-10, 2 2B, 2 BB, HR, 2 SB, 6 R, 9 RBI

Briefly: Thomas Williams hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Claflin never trailed as it opened its season by snapping a 43-game losing streak from last season ... Capers Molinaroli was 5-for-5 with two doubles and a home run as USC Aiken coasted to victory. The five hits tied the school record ... Rijnaldo Euson pitched six shutout inning as Francis Marion won the first game of Jeff Jefferson's coaching tenure ... Alton Gyselman's two-run homer for North Greenville in the 10th broke a tie in Game 1 and Tristan Salinas scored a run in all seven innings of the nightcap of a sweep at USC Beaufort. The Sand Sharks used a 10-run seventh to force extra innings in the opener ... Newberry pounded out 20 hits and cruised in Jay Snyder's first game as head coach ... Erskine scored six runs - five unearned - in the first inning and held on to beat Lander ... Florence-Darlington Tech scored nine runs in its final three at-bats to rally for a walk-off win. Patrick Evans delivered the winner ... Graham Peeler singled, doubled, homered and drove in five runs as Columbia International had a big offensive day in a doubleheader sweep ... Bob Jones was shut out on two hits in its first game with Kyle Morrison as head coach in its return after the program was shut down briefly in the fall ... Zane Faulk's seventh-inning grand slam capped Middle Georgia's comeback from being down by five runs before it batted as the Knights spoiled Spartanburg Methodist's debut as a four-year program and Riley Nelson's first game as interim coach ... Belmont Abbey scored the game's first nine runs and held off Coker ... Five of Limestone's 10 hits were for extra bases, but the Saints committed three errors in dropping their opener ... An eight-run eighth pushed Toccoa Falls passed Morris.

Belmont Abbey 11, Coker 7 - Cok: Jaylen Mack 2-4, 2B, BB, RBI

Columbia International 10, Florida National 3, Game 1 - Col: Daniel Sidoti HR, 2 RBI

Columbia International 31, Florida National 5, Game 2 - Col: Mason Turner 4-6, HR, 2 R, 6 RBI

Erskine 10, Lander 6 - Ers: Elliot Sanders 2-4, BB, R, 2 RBI

Francis Marion 5, Tusculum 2 - Fra: Rayth Peterson 2-5, SB, 2 R

Middle Georgia 10,  Spartanburg Methodist 7 - Spa: Jarian Pinckney 2-4, R, 2 RBI

Newberry 16, Barton 3 - New: Bryson Nuckols 4-6, 3B, 4 R, 2 RBI 

North Greenville 13, USC Beaufort 11, 10 innings, Game 1 - NG: Brett Blomquist 3-3, HR, 2 BB, 3 R, 3 RBI

North Greenville 29, USC Beaufort 3, Game 2 - NG: Tristan Salinas 5-6, 3B, HR, BB, 7 R, 4 RBI

Ohio Christian 9, Bob Jones 0 - BJU: Conley Burk 1B, BB

Toccoa Falls 16, Morris 9 - Mor: Dylan Levy 4-6, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R 

Union 6, Limestone 4 - Lim: Winston Parke 1B, 2B, 3B, R

USC Aiken 18, Mars Hill 3 - Aik: Josh Sharp 4-6, 2B, 3 R, RBI

HBCU Battle of the Divisions

Wesley Barrow Stadium, New Orleans

Claflin 8,  Dillard 5 - Cla: D.J. Mungenast 2-3, R, BB, W, 5 IP, 5 K

Edward Waters 9, Southern-New Orleans 7
Miles 12, Rust 11
Morehouse 16, Southern-New Orleans 12

Visit Panama City Beach Classic

Publix Sports Park, Panama City Beach, Fla.

Florence-Darlington Tech 10, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota 9 - FD: Zach Hunt 2-4, R, 2 RBI

Eastern Florida 9, Coastal Alabama North 0

Indian River 8, Wallace Dothan 0

John A. Logan 4, Chipola 2

Meridian 8, Dyersburg State 7
Pearl River 6, Northwest Florida 4
Wabash Valley 3, Gulf Coast 1

(15/18)