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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern baseball team (18-5, 3-2 SSC) is set to play a three-game weekend series on the road against the Barry Buccaneers (14-12, 7-2 SSC) in Miami Shores, Fla. The series will begin Friday at 6 p.m. and conclude with a doubleheader beginning at noon.
The Sharks and the Bucs have been rivals since the Sharks played their first spring season in the Sunshine State Conference in 2005, and the close rivalry has grown through this season. Last year, the Sharks faced Barry seven times and lost the season-series, 4-3. This season, the Sharks and Bucs have split a pair of nonconference games.
The first game was played on Feb. 9 at the NSU Baseball Complex. The Sharks took their first loss of the season that night, giving up a run in the ninth inning to fall, 1-0. The contest developed into a pitcher’s duel as both teams had three hits apiece.
Mike Gonzalez (Jr., Miami, Fla.) received the start in his second appearance as a Shark and proved his place among the Sharks’ top new arms. Gonzalez had a no-hitter through the first five innings before giving up one hit in the sixth. In a 76-pitch outing, Gonzalez struck out five batters and only allowed three base runners, two of which came in his sixth and final inning.
In the next game on Feb. 28, The Sharks erased a five-run deficit and defeated the Bucs, 10-8, on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning from
Areo Regoli (Sr., Homestead, Fla.). Regoli hit his sixth home run of the season with two outs on the board and
Angel Navarro (Fr., Miami Lakes, Fla.) on first base. Regoli, who helped tied the game in the eighth inning, drove the ball down the left field line and over the fence on a 0-1 count. It was the Sharks’ first walk-off win of the season and first since their playoff win against Harding last May. Regoli finished the night 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
NSU and Barry will finish their five-game regular season series this weekend with three games that have enormous implication on the conference-title race. Despite Barry’s struggles this season to stay above .500, they have been unaffected during SSC play. The Bucs lead the conference with a 7-2 record, winning all three of the conference sets so far this season against Eckerd, Saint Leo and Florida Southern.
On the other hand, the Sharks have had fantastic season overall but have not run away with a conference series yet. NSU split a doubleheader on the road against Florida Tech before the final game of the series was rained out. The Sharks won their series last weekend against Eckerd, but dropped a game and had to erase a five-run deficit in another. A sweep for the Sharks would put the team where they feel they belong, at or near the top of the SSC standings. A sweep or series win for Barry would make them 4-for-4 in SSC matchups and solidify the Bucs as the favorite to repeat as conference champions.
Elsewhere in the SSC this week, A rising Florida Tech squad will host last-place Eckerd. The Panthers are looking to make noise in the conference after taking two game against preseason favorite Tampa. The Spartans, coming off their first series win last weekend, will play at Rollins, where the Tars are 18-5 this season. Second-place Lynn will travel to Florida Southern. The Mocs have already played half of their conference schedule, going 6-6, and are in desperate need of a weekend sweep.
Regardless of the conference standings, the matchup between the Bucs and Sharks comes down to more than the SSC standings. This weekend’s series will feature two teams that have played each other nine times in just over a calendar year, with two games coming in postseason play. Last season, the Sharks were forced to beat Barry at least four times if they wanted to keep their season alive, while the national champions in West Florida only had to win against Barry twice. This weekend, both teams will have the opportunity to damage the other squad’s record to the point in which they may not get in each other’s way again.
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