GAME ONE BOX|GAME TWO BOX
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Chelsea Emery (Jr., Eustis, Fla.) sent a hard groundball through the left side of the West Florida (5-7) infield to bring home two Nova Southeastern base runners, giving the NSU softball team (8-8) a 5-4 lead in the second game of a doubleheader with the Argonauts Saturday. UWF won the first game by a score of 4-3.
GAME ONE
Sara DeMuth (Sr., Plant City, Fla.) pitched a complete game, striking out eight West Florida batters, but the Argos topped the Sharks 4-3. It was the third meeting between UWF and NSU, with the Argos winning all three meetings by one run.
A two-pitch sequence put the Sharks in an early hole, as Danielle Kildow tripled and then scored on a wild pitch to put the Argos ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning.
After two scoreless innings, UWF double its lead, going up 2-0 on a Crystal Thompson RBI. The Sharks would get the second out in the top of the fourth thanks to a great running catch by
Katie Kelton (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.). With her glove arm stretched high above her head, Kelton snared the ball and she ran into the outfield wall.
NSU was one strike away from getting out of the inning, but Thompson sent a 1-2 pitch to left field and the pinch-running Bianca Lopez was able to score. The Argos would add two more in the top of the fifth to go up 4-0.
The Sharks scored their first run of the game in the bottom half of the fifth.
Lorena Spaulding (Fr., Hollywood, Fla.) and Kelton each reached base safely and advanced a base on a sacrifice bunt from
Ashley Silveira (Jr., Miami, Fla.). Gina Bondarenko then ripped a single through the left side to plate Spaulding for her fifth RBI of the homestand.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Sharks would get another rally going that resulted in two more runs, closing the deficit to one, 4-3. Spaulding singled down the left field line to bring in pinch runners
Michelle Sarradet (Fr., Miami, Fla.) and
Marissa Raimo (Jr., Hampton Bays, N.Y.). NSU would not be able to notch the tying run though, allowing UWF to escape with a 4-3 victory.
Emery and
Zina Constancia (Fr., Curacao), who made her first start, both went 2-for-3 at the plate, leading the Sharks to 11 hits, while UWF managed only seven.
GAME TWO
With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Emery gave NSU its first win in four tries over UWF this season with a two-RBI walk-off single. Emery went 2-for-4 in the game and tallied four of NSU’s five RBI in the 5-4 Sharks’ victory.
Game two started similar to the first, as UWF jumped out to an advantage early, posting three runs in the first half inning of play.
Melanie Spicola (So., Umatilla, Fla.) registered the Sharks’ first RBI of the contest, driving in
Laura Saladrigas (Jr., Hollywood, Fla.) in the bottom of the second. The Argos responded quickly, extending their lead back to three runs, 4-1, with a RBI double in the top of the third by Sara Scott.
In the bottom of the fifth inning Emery recorded her first two RBI to get the Sharks back within one, 4-3. Emery hit a bloop single down the right field line that allowed Spaulding to score from second and Kelton enough of an opportunity to race all the way home from first.
An almost identical scenario showed itself in the bottom of the seventh, this time with Spaulding on third and Kelton on second with Emery at the dish. This time, Emery sent a hard groundball in between the Argos’ shortstop and third baseman, allowing both base runners to score and give the Sharks their third win of the five-game homestand.
Saladrigas picked up the win in the circle, allowing only one earned run on six hits in seven innings. Kelton led the Sharks with three hits, while Spaulding and Emery each had two.
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