By South Carolina Beaufort Sports Information

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. - Perfection turned out to be commonplace Monday night at Richard Gray Sports Complex.

After watching University of South Carolina Beaufort freshman Kristy Cook strike out 12 in a five-inning perfect game in the opening game of a doubleheader against Fisher (Mass.), sophomore Caroline Pastre went one better in the finale - she struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced, giving the Sand Sharks back-to-back perfect games as they swept the Falcons 19-0 and 34-0.

"Obviously our pitchers and defense are really working well together right now," USCB coach Ty Rietkovich said. "When a pitcher can go to the mound and have confidence in the people she has behind her, it makes everything better."

The Sand Sharks (4-0) certainly thrived at the plate, as well. Mariah Sanborn was the hitting star of the first game with three hits, including a home run, and four RBIs. Maddie Byrd added a homer and two RBIs.

In the second game, Kalin Martin had three hits, including an inside-the-park home run, and four RBIs, Taylor Triplett had a home run and three RBIs, Paige Adams had three hits and drove in four runs, and Sam Boland and Erin Wilson each drove in three runs.

But for all the offensive fireworks - the Sand Sharks pounded 56 hits in the doubleheader - the pitchers stole the show, combining to strike out 25 of the 30 Fisher batters.

It wasn't Cook's first remarkable performance in a Sand Sharks uniform. The freshman from Brooks, Ga., struck out 12 in a five-inning no-hitter in the opening game of USCB's inaugural season Feb. 11 against Wesleyan College. She was just as dominant in her encore and has struck out 24 without allowing a hit or a walk in 10 innings in her collegiate career.

"I'm just enjoying it while it lasts," Cook said. "Hopefully I'll keep the same mentality and go at every team this way."

Pastre said she didn't feel any pressure to duplicate her teammate's feat until late in the game, when the possibility began to sink in. She nearly gave up a hit to the first batter, as Porsha Grayson almost beat out an infield single, but hit her stride from there, striking out the last nine batters to break Cook's short-lived school record for strikeouts in a game.

"I tried not to think about (the perfect game), because then I'd get nervous, and I didn't want to mess up," Pastre said.

She admitted the thought pushed its way to the front of her consciousness when she ran the count to 3-2 against Amanda Colon with two outs in the fifth, but a called third strike finished off a perfect night for USCB's pitchers.

"A double perfect game is just not something you expect to see," Rietkovich said. "But I'm proud of the way Kristy and Caroline pitched. It was a special night."