BOX SCORE

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern baseball team (27-13) won an 11-inning slugfest on the road against the No. 8 Barry Buccaneers (30-13) Tuesday night, 13-12. The win gives the Sharks the season series over Barry, 3-2.

The game featured seven home runs, three from the Sharks, as the back-and-forth game saw NSU lead on five different occasions. Daniel Petitbon (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had a stellar outing as he went 2-for-5 with three RBI and a home run. Luis Penate (Sr., Miami, Fla.) also had a stellar game going 1-for-3 with two RBI, a home run and a game-high three runs scored. Sean Albury (Sr., Nassau, Bahamas) (4-1) picked up his career-high fourth win of the season, while Isaac Hicks (Sr., Fort Myers, Fla.) closed the game in the 11th for his first career save.

The fans at Feinbloom Field knew they were in for a show early as the teams exchanged home runs in the first inning. The first came from Penate, who put the Sharks up 2-0 with a bomb over left field that also plated Carlos Asuaje (Fr., Weston, Fla.). Penate drove out of the park on the first pitch he saw for his third homer of the year. Barry’s Dean Green evened the score with a home run to right centerfield.

The Sharks regained the lead the very next inning as Blake Boyd (So., Jupiter, Fla.) plated Dusty Maggs (Sr., Satellite Beach, Fla.) on a single to shallow right field. Maggs scored from second and just beat the throw home. Barry would once again answer back in the bottom of the frame as they scored three runs, two of which came off a Drew Dwelly home run.

The Sharks had a cold spell after Boyd’s RBI hit as they collected one hit over the next 14 plate appearances. The Bucs strengthened their lead with a pair of runs in the fifth. After Haven Fitzsimmonds (Sr., Loxahatchee, Fla.) drew a walk in the sixth, Maggs woke up the offense with a home run over the left field fence. It was his eighth home run of the season, placing him second on the team. Anthony Angulo (Jr., Homestead, Fla.) followed up with a double down the left field line and was plated on a single from reigning SSC Player of the Week Nikko Echevarria (Jr., Abqaib, Saudi Arabia). Barry’s Green struck again that same inning with another two-run homer, putting Barry up 9-6.

With six home runs already hit in the game, Petibon blasted the seventh bomb in the seventh inning. His fourth homer of the season barely went over the wall as it popped out of the left fielder’s glove. The home run cut the deficit to a single run as it scored Penate, who had reached base on a walk. The Sharks had the tying run on third but could not capitalize on the opportunity.

The Sharks had a rare inning in which they took the lead on three runs without driving the ball out of the park. The Sharks took advantage of Barry’s miscues as the side started when Echevarria was nailed with a pitch before Asuaje reached on a fielding error by the pitcher. Penate put down the sacrifice bunt to move both runners in scoring position and Petitbon drove in the tying run on a groundout. With two outs on the board, the Bucs made another costly error that allowed Asuaje to score and Andrew Durden (Sr., Port St. Lucie, Fla.) to reach second. The Sharks added to their lead as Fitzsimmonds singled through the right side to plate Durden and give NSU an 11-9 advantage.

After Torey Ekey (Sr., Merritt Island, Fla.) and Sean Tighe (Jr., Hobe Sound, Fla.) combined to keep the Bucs hitless over 3.1 innings pitched, the Sharks had a two-run lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The Sharks walked two straight batters before giving up the tying hit that was nearly caught by Petitbon on a diving attempt. Albury struck out the final batter of the ninth to send the game into extra innings, 11-11.

The Sharks went up by a run in the 10th inning when Penate led-off with a walk and was advanced by Petitbon’s sacrifice bunt. Alex Marrero entered as a pinch hitter and came through with an RBI single through the right side. The run was equalized when Barry loaded the bases with one out before Barry’s James Young hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Barry stranded a runner on second again as the game entered the 11th tied, 12-12.

The Sharks would take another lead in the 11th as the leadoff batter, Angulo, drew a leadoff walk and was bunted over by Boyd. Alan Avila (Jr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) entered the game to run for Angulo and scored the go-ahead run. With two outs on the board, Asuaje singled to shallow right field and the coaches sent Avila home. The throw from the outfield was in time, but Avila slid around the tag which allowed the Sharks to take a 13-12 lead.

Hicks entered the game for a chance at his first career save. He started shaky as he beaned the first batter, but went on to draw three straight outs to end the game. The Sharks now hold a 5-1 record against top-10 nationally ranked teams.

The Sharks will return to the NSU Baseball Complex this Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m. to face Palm Beach Atlantic.