Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 GAME ONE BOX | GAME TWO BOX
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern softball team (27-26, 6-18 SSC) topped St. Thomas (17-19) in both games in the final series of the season for the Sharks, Saturday at the AD Griffin Sports Complex. The Sharks won both games by identical 4-2 scores en route to the team's seventh straight winning season.
Prior to the first game, coaches
Lesa Boneè,
Robin Martin and Sara DeMuth honored the team’s four seniors.
Ashley Silveira (Miami),
Chelsea Emery (Eustis, Fla.),
Marissa Raimo (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) and
Laura Saladrigas (Hollywood, Fla.) were all recognized and escorted by their family and friends during the ceremony.
With the sweep, the Sharks end the season on an 11-game home win streak, the longest such streak since 2001, and finished the season above .500, after the team was 13-21 at one point in the season.
Game One
The first game started fittingly, when Saladrigas blasted her fifth home run of the season, the 25th of her career, to solidify her place in the record books and give the Sharks an early 2-0 lead.
After the Bobcats tied the game with a run in the second and third innings, the Sharks retook the lead for good in the third, scoring a pair of runs.
Shelby Talon (Fr., Boynton Beach, Fla.) started the inning with a base hit through the five-six hole then immediately stole second.
Lorena Spaulding (So., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) was able to drop a bunt in front of the pitcher and reached safely at first, allowing Talon to score and giving the Sharks a 3-2 lead. The final run of the game came after Saladrigas made an attempt to steal second, drawing the Bobcats' attention away from Spaulding at third, which gave her enough time to score easily.
Erika Garcia (Jr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) (7-6) had another strong game in the circle, allowing only two runs on six hits. Garcia pitched best when the Bobcats put runners on base, as she forced St. Thomas to leave seven runners on base to the Sharks' one.
Game Two
The second game was all NSU through the first six innings, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. NSU scored three runs in the third and the final run in the fifth. The Bobcats began a rally in the seventh, scoring two off
Jennie Von Doellen (Jr., Hudson Bay, Canada) (18-16), before Garcia came in with two runners on and retired three straight batters to pick up her second save of the season.
The first NSU run came on a defensive error caused by the speed of Spaulding. Spaulding dropped down a bunt and forced a wild throw over the first basemen’s head, allowing her to round the bases and score on a sliding play at the plate. Emery continued her RBI tear, bringing in two runs later in the third on a single up the middle. The base hit brought home Saladrigas and Tanaka from second and third, respectively.
The Sharks' final run came in the fifth inning on a Garcia base hit, scoring Tanaka for the third time in the series.
Von Doellen allowed only three hits through the first six innings en route to her team-high 17th win of the year. The junior struck out four batters on the day.
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