GAME ONE BOX | GAME TWO BOX
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – With Sunday’s doubleheader sweep of Florida Southern, 6-2 and 4-2, the Nova Southeastern baseball team took all three games from the Mocs over the weekend and moved to .500 in Sunshine State Conference play.
Each win featured an exemplary starting pitching performances by the Sharks (24-13, 6-6 SSC). In game one,
Zachary Westcott (Jr., Weston, Fla.) came within an out of a complete game, giving up only six hits and two runs while striking out five over a 134-pitch outing.
Mitchell Buerosse (Jr., Lighthouse Point, Fla.) was able to go the distance in the seven-inning game two, allowing just five hits and two runs with six strikeouts.
Alex Marrero (Sr., Miami) had the day’s biggest hit, a crushing shot to straight-away centerfield for a two-run homer to snap a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning of game two, sealing the Shark sweep.
The losses dropped Florida Southern (15-21, 7-8 SSC) a game below .500 in conference and makes them 0-16 on the road this season.
GAME ONE
The Sharks took an early 2-0 lead, as cleanup batter
Kevin Reynolds (Jr., Fort Myers, Fla.) took one out over the rightfield fence in the bottom of the first, scoring he and
Jose Rodriguez (Sr., Hialeah, Fla.). Though FSC tied it with two of their own the next half-inning, that’s all they would get off Westcott (4-3) for the remainder of the game.
NSU would plate single runs in each of the second, third, fourth and sixth innings. In the second, the go-ahead run came in the form of
Brett Clements (Sr., Riverview, Fla.), who singled, moved to second on a sacrifice by
Eric Acevedo (Sr., Miami), to third on a single by
Carlos Asuaje (Jr., Weston, Fla.) and home on an infield single deep in the hole at shortstop by
Michael Melendez (So., Miramar, Fla.). It would be the first of three RBI on the day for the Shark first baseman, and gave the team a 3-2 lead.
Insurance runs came in the third on a single by
William Rudolph (Jr., Parkland, Fla.), scoring Reynolds; in the fourth on another run-scoring single by Melendez, knocking in Acevedo; and in the sixth, on Asuaje’s first home run of the season, a no-doubter to right.
Westcott put up zeroes in each of the last 5 2/3 innings he worked, and
Mike Gonzalez (Sr., Miami) came in for the last out, inducing a foul popout to Melendez for the save.
Melendez had three hits in game one while knocking in two runs. Asuaje, Reynolds and Sedell each had two hits, with Reynolds scoring twice and having two RBI of his own.
GAME TWO
NSU got on the scoreboard first in the capper as well, as Melendez’s sacrifice fly plated Acevedo in the home third. The only runs off Buerosse (5-3) came in the FSC fourth, on three hits, giving the Mocs a 2-1 lead.
The Sharks quickly tied it in their half of the fourth. With one out, Marrero reached on an infield single and moved all the way to third on an errant pickoff attempt.
Brandon Sedell (So., Davie, Fla.) got his teammate home with a single of his own to knot the game at 2-2.
The Mocs were held scoreless in each of the fifth and sixth innings to keep things tied and set up the game-winner. In the bottom of the sixth, Rodriguez led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice by Reynolds. Marrero then stepped in with the two-run shot to give the Sharks the lead for good.
Buerosse remained in the game and got two quick outs in the seventh before allowing a hit. He then got the Mocs’ leading hitter, Keith Curcio, to fly out to center to end the game and complete the doubleheader and series sweep.
Marrero and Sedell each had two hits to lead the way in game two for NSU. Marrero scored twice and had two RBI, while Sedell and Melendez each had one RBI. For the series, Melendez was 6-for-11 with six runs batted in, while Sedell was 6-for-12 and Rodriguez went 5-for-11.
The Sharks have now won a season-high six games in a row, and travel just up I-95 to Boca Raton, Fla., for next weekend’s series with Lynn. Game one against the Fighting Knights is Saturday, April 20, at 3 p.m., and the following day’s doubleheader begins at noon.
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