BOX SCORE
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern softball team (5-6) topped Saint Leo, 6-4, on the final day of the Eckerd College Tritons tournament Sunday morning. Pitcher
Sara DeMuth (Sr., Plant City, Fla.) recorded 10 strikeouts to give her 37 for the tournament, and Laura Saladrigas hit her fourth home run of the season to power the Sharks past the Lions.
Saint Leo struck first, scoring a run in the bottom of the third on a double steal. McKenzie Burns stole home as Alex Garris was stealing second.
After a scoreless fourth inning in which DeMuth struck out two Saint Leo batters, the Sharks came up in the top of the fifth and took the lead with a trio of runs.
Lorena Spaulding (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and
Melanie Spicola (Fr., Umatilla, Fla.) led off the inning with a pair of singles before
Jaimee Vega (Jr., Loxahatchee, Fla.) bunt sacrificed them each up one base.
With runners on second and third,
Katie Kelton (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) stepped up and drove a 1-1 pitch over the left fielder’s head for a double that drove in both Spaulding and Spicola to put NSU ahead 2-1. After a Saint Leo pitching change,
Laura Saladrigas (Jr., Hollywood, Fla.) came up, and despite grounding out to third, she was able to get Kelton home.
The Lions came back quickly in the bottom of the fifth, posting a pair of unearned runs to even the game, 3-3. The tie game was short lived, with NSU adding another run in the top of the sixth.
Dani Millan (So., Ventura, Calif.) led off the inning with a single to left center and
Marissa Raimo (Jr., Hampton Bays, N.Y.) came on to pinch run. Raimo was able to advance over to third through the next two batters with Vega then reaching on a walk. In the following at bat, Raimo was able to score on a double steal, as Vega baited a throw down to second from the catcher and got caught in a run down, allowing Raimo to race home.
DeMuth struck out another in the bottom of the sixth to bring the Sharks up in the last inning ahead 4-3. Kelton led off with a single, bringing up Saladrigas. On a 1-0 pitch, Saladrigas hit a ball that was hanging over the plate over the left field wall to bring her RBI total up to three in the game and put NSU up 6-3.
The Lions tallied one run in the bottom of the seventh, but DeMuth struck out two more and the Sharks captured a 6-4 victory. The win gave NSU three victories for the tournament and improved their record to 5-6.
Kelton went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored to go with a stolen base to pace NSU offensively.
Ashley Silveira (Jr., Miami, Fla.) had a pair of hits in four plate appearances.
NSU will next be in action at home Thursday in a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. against Northwood.
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