GAME ONE BOX | GAME TWO BOX
CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Nova Southeastern baseball team (6-4) suffered their first series loss of the season being swept by No. 2 Delta State (6-0). The Sharks fell short in both games of the doubleheader on Saturday by a first game score of 15-4 and second game score of 8-3.
GAME ONE
Playing in very cold conditions, the Sharks started off slow much like Friday's game, as they were outscored 8-0 in the first three innings.
Jose Rodriguez (Sr., Hialeah, Fla.) recorded the Sharks' first hit of the game in the top of the fourth, driving a hard-hit ball to right-center, but was unable to advance after
Ryan Woodrey (So., Lighthouse Point, Fla.) grounded out to short on the ensuing at-bat to end the inning.
The NSU defense held the Statesmen scoreless through the fourth until Delta chalked up five runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to 13-0.
In top of the seventh the Sharks started to generate some offense, posting their first runs of the series by lighting up three on the board. Woodrey got the bats going for NSU, singling through the left side, advancing Rodriguez, who had walked during his at-bat. Both runners advanced a base due to a passed ball, and Rodriguez rounded home off a throwing error that landed
Anthony Angulo (Sr., Homestead, Fla.) on first, scoring the Sharks' first run.
Brooks Fleming (Jr., Palm City, Fla.) launched a two-RBI single into left field to score Woodrey and Angulo, finishing the Sharks' scoring for the inning and cutting the lead to 13-3.
Delta State came back in the bottom of the eighth and added two more runs to extend the lead to 15-3. The Sharks chalked up one last run in the ninth but it proved to be too little too late, falling 15-4.
The Sharks used four total pitchers on the mound in game one, with
Cody Stiles (Sr., Coral Springs, Fla.) proving to be the most effective. Stiles threw three innings, facing 16 batters, striking out two and allowing zero runs on only one hit.
GAME TWO
The Sharks and Statesmen battled it out in the start of the second game as both teams were scoreless through the first four innings.
Mitchell Buerosse (Jr., Lighthouse Point, Fla.) had a spectacular performance on the hill, pitching five complete innings, allowing only one hit through four innings. But the Statesmen came through with four hits in the fifth, resulting in a run to take an early 1-0 lead. Buerosse faced a total of 21 batters in the five innings pitched.
With the continuing struggle for offense, the bottom of the sixth resulted in three different pitching changes for the Sharks and also resulted in a monster inning for Delta State. The Statesmen added seven more runs to the board to take a very late 8-0 lead.
In the top of the seventh, NSU created a bit of an offensive spark after a two-RBI single to right field by
Eric Acevedo (Sr., Miami, Fla.) cut the lead to six, 8-2. Again the story once again became too little too late for the Sharks as they scored only one more run off an RBI single to right center by
Brett Clements (Sr., Riverview, Fla.). That proved to be the final hit of the game, ending the weekend series with a final second game score of 8-3.
The Sharks will be back at home on Tuesday, Feb. 19 against the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish for a solo nine-inning game, which is slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
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