Game 1 | Game 2

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern baseball team (7-2) split a doubleheader against the Valdosta State Blazers (3-7) Saturday at the NSU Baseball Complex. The Sharks won the first game, 3-2 (11 inn.), but dropped the final game of the series, 14-1.

After a perfect offensive performance against VSU the previous night, Haven Fitzsimmonds (Sr., Loxahatchee, Fla.) hit a walk-off single down the right field line in the 11th inning to win the day’s opening game. It was Fitzsimmonds’ only hit of the day as he entered the at bat 0-4 at the plate. Fitzsimmonds now leads the Sharks with a .455 batting average.

Despite the Sharks’ second loss of the year, Dusty Maggs (Sr., Satellite Beach, Fla.) hit his first home run over the year in the fourth inning of the final game. It was Maggs’ second hit of the doubleheader and his 10th homer as a Shark.

In the game’s opening day, Nick Avila (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) pitched well in his third start of the season. He held the Blazers scoreless over the first six innings and held a 5/2 groundball/flyball ratio. Ryan Whelan (Sr., Boca Raton, Fla.) (2-0) held the Blazers scoreless in the final inning and picked up the victory. Sean Tighe (Jr., Hobe Sound, Fla.) (0-2) started the second game and earned his second straight loss.

Avila and VSU’s Brett Kennedy both started strong as neither team earned a hit in the first two innings. The Sharks took a lead in the bottom of the third when Carlos Asuaje (Fr., Weston, Fla.) recorded his team’s first hit with a single up the middle. A balk sent him to second and he advanced home on a RBI single to right centerfield from Nikko Echevarria (Jr., Abqaib, Saudi Arabia). The Sharks came close to scoring again in the fourth but Andrew Durden (Sr., Port St. Lucie, Fla.) was put out at home plate on a double play.

The Sharks would go hitless until the ninth inning while the Blazers established a one run lead by scoring a run in the seventh and eighth innings. In the bottom of the ninth, Maggs led off and earned his first hit of the day, a double to right field. Matt Seese (Sr., Ocala, Fla.) pinch ran for Maggs and advanced to third on Fitzsimmonds’ groundout. Marrero (So., Miami, Fla.) struck out for the second out before Ray Navarro (Jr., Miami, Fla.) grounded the ball to the pitcher. Instead of completing the routine groundout, the VSU’s Bud Fuller threw the ball away which allowed Seese to tie the game.

Sean Albury (Sr., Nassau, Bahamas), who pitched 2.1 innings, held the Blazers scoreless in the 10th inning before Whelan closed the show. Luis Penate (Sr., Miami, Fla.) scored NSU’s winning run by leading off the 11th with a double to left centerfield, his first of two hits in the doubleheader. Scott Woodrey (Jr., Lighthouse Point, Fla.) laid down a bunt to advance Penate to third before Fitzsimmonds ended the game with his walk-off single.

The Sharks struggled in the second game as they allowed a run in the first inning before VSU posted eight runs in the second inning. The Blazers scored two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings and capped off the day with their final run in the seventh.

Maggs’ bomb past right centerfield in the fourth inning scored NSU’s only run of the game. Blake Boyd (So., Jupiter, Fla.) led off the bottom of the third with a single through the right side and threatened to score but was left on third base.

The Sharks won two out of three games against VSU this weekend and now equal the best nine-game start in program history. This is the fourth time in which the Sharks have started the season 7-2.

The Sharks will hit the road to face Florida Tech in Melbourne, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.