The Sharks were able to fight their way back into a ball game they trailed at one time by four.

Missed opportunities in several innings eventually doomed the Sharks as they dropped a 14 inning thriller 9-8 in Columbia.

The Sharks picked up two runs in the 4th inning after the first two batters walked.Two outs later the bases were loaded for Neal Pritchard(Elon) who lined a ball to right center to drive in two with a double.

The Sharks threw up another two run frame in the top of the 7th. As Cory Lyda(Presbyterian) walked with one out then came home on a triple from Bobby Leeper(UNC-Wilmington). During the next at bat Leeper scored standing up on a wild pitch. At that point the Sharks trailed it 6-4.

Manager Daniel Hersey was tossed out of the ball game in the bottom of the 7th arguing a ball strike call. But that really the culmination of a number of greivances as Hersey had been out to argue a number of calls already on the night. Tim Medlin, the Blowfish manager had been tossed by the same umpire, two innings earlier.

The Sharks went to the 8th inning trailing 7-4, but a two out two RBI double from Lyda brought two of the three runs on the inning to tie the score. Lyda was left at second and the game started fresh after seven and a half.

Ryan Vander Tuig(San Jose State) made his third start of the season throwing 6 and a a third giving up six total runs. Matt Patterson(Creighton) worked two and two thirds innings of relief allowing just one run to the Blowfish. Tyler White(Alabama) worked four scoreless innings, striking out seven, to hold things down in extras.

Wilmington finally plated a run in the top of the thirteenth when Mike Alvare(Florida Gulf Coast) led things off with a single. He was at third with two down and scored on a Ben Kline(Nebraska) single to break the tie. Cory Burgess(USC-Sumter) gave the run back in the bottom frame and eventually a winning run came home off Burgess on a bloop single in the bottom of the 14th to end the ballgame.

Burgess takes the loss falling to 0-1 on the season. The Sharks will take on the Blowfish again on Thursday night for Thirsty Thursday presented by Blackhorn. Dollar beer and soft drinks all night long at the Shark Tank. The game gets underway at 7pm.