CLEARWATER, Fla. (Feb. 21, 2010) - The Nova Southeastern softball team finished the Eckerd Triton Spring Invitational with a 3-3 record. The Sharks (8-4) dropped a heartbreaker to the Florida Tech Panthers (6-5), 2-1 but followed it up with a victory over the Saint Leo Lions (3-8), 4-1.

"We played strong against Saint Leo," said Head Coach Lesa Boneè. "I was proud of the way this team bounced back, especially after back-to-back losses in winnable games."

Noemi Luciani (Sr., Miami, Fla.) scored a game-high two runs on 1-for-2 hitting against the Lions. The Sharks were also led by Brittney Lamb (Sr., West Palm Beach, Fla.) who batted 2-for-3 in the contest.

Lexi Sarradet (Jr., Miami, Fla.) earned the win in the second game of the day by pitching the first two scoreless innings. Dani Caron (Sr., Wellington Fla.) picked up her first save of the year by holding the opposition to three hits and one run. She also batted 3-for-1 with an RBI double to centerfield.

The Sharks put together a steady scoring effort against the Lions, with one run scored in innings two-through-five. They were dangerously close to ending the game in the fifth inning with a 4-0 lead. Caron was up to bat with the bases loaded and two outs on the board but she came up short. The Sharks did not score again but held the Lions to one run.

In the loss against Florida Tech, Sarah Hart (Jr., Newburgh, Ind.) scored her second RBI of the season in the fifth inning. Lamb reached base on an error by the second baseman and eventually advanced to third. Hart then singled past second base to score the Sharks only run. The Panthers would answer back in the bottom of the fifth by scoring two runs.

With a one run deficit in the top of the seventh, Brittany Phillips (Jr., Seminole, Fla.) doubled to left field with one out on the board. Dana Bergner (Sr., Palm Harbor, Fla.) flied out to right field but Caron pinch hit and put a single into centerfield. The centerfielder Danielle Healy made a perfect throw to home plate that beat Phillips by a split second to win the game.

Devin Higginbotham (Jr., Palatka, Fla.) pitched well in her first start of the season. She struck out five batters and did not allow an earned run, keeping her ERA at 0.00 over seven innings pitched. She was relieved in the sixth inning by Sarradet who only allowed one hit. She took the loss which puts her overall record at 4-3.

The Nova Southeastern softball team will return home this Tuesday when they face off against Mercyhurst in a doubleheader at 5 pm.