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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern softball team (1-3) will travel to Clearwater, Fla., to compete in the Eckerd College Spring Invitational this upcoming weekend. The Sharks will take part in five games from Feb. 7-9, with the first pitch thrown on the 7th at 11:30 a.m.
The Sharks will open on Friday against the Colorado Christian Cougars, and follow with a 4:30 p.m. game against the West Florida Argonauts. On Saturday, NSU will start at 11 a.m. with a game against the No. 5 Armstrong Atlantic Pirates and will then face Flagler for the third time this season at 4 p.m. On the final day of the tournament, the Sharks will conclude with an early 10 a.m. game against the No. 6 Valdosta State Blazers.
The Sharks' first victory of the year came in a 6-0 shutout of the Ave Maria Gyrenes. The Sharks held the Gyrenes scoreless behind the combination of starting pitcher
Erika Garcia (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.), who allowed five hits over five innings, and reliever
Rebecca Thornton (Fr., Lodi, Ca.), who earned the save with two hitless innings of work.
Three Sharks have already homered this season:
Katrina Ammons (Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.),
Carly Comito (Fr., Boca Raton, Fla.) and Garcia. They have exceeded the home run total of last year's first three games, and the three are tied for the team high in RBI with three.
Outfielder
Melanie Spicola (Jr., Umatilla, Fla.) leads the squad with a .444 batting average, followed by
Krista Colburn (Jr., Meade, Colo.) at an even .400.
Here are the five opponents the team will face in Clearwater:
Colorado Christian
The Cougars (2-3) are entering the Eckerd tournament with their first wins of the 2014 season earlier this week in a doubleheader rout over Oklahoma Panhandle State, by scores of 21-5 and 16-6. In the opener, they put up a 12-run second inning and had four players with three or more RBI. In game two, an eight-run fifth ended it, and Jessica and Danielle Romine each knocked in four.
West Florida
The Argonauts (1-4) have dropped their last four games after a season-opening win in a doubleheader split against the University of Mobile. In their 5-1 win, senior pitcher Taylor Bailey pitched five scoreless innings. Caroline Kaston leads the UWF hitting attack with a .381 average, one of six Argos at .300 or better.
No. 5 Armstrong Atlantic
The Pirates (1-0), fifth in the NFCA Division II Top 25, opened the 2014 season last Sunday with a 9-1 win over Mount Olive and have only been able to play one game out of their scheduled four due to inclement weather. Junior Alexis Mercer helped with the win, finishing the game 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI, while senior Andrea Dalton and Lacye Walker finished with two hits and two RBI's.
No. 6 Valdosta State
The Blazers (5-1) are currently rated No. 6 in the NFCA Top 25. With 22 hits and seven home runs, they swept Flagler 2-0, extending their win streak to four in a row. Courtney Albritton has three of the team's 10 total homers on the season, while Chelsea Canara was named Gulf South Conference Player of the Week.
Flagler
The Saints (2-4) were last swept by Valdosta State, after taking on the Sharks last weekend and earning a doubleheader sweep in Fort Lauderdale. Mackenzie Conley leads the team with three home runs and six RBI, while Lauren Bessent has started the year hitting at a .409 clip.
All five Shark games will be broadcasted throughout the weekend. Tune in
HERE, or follow along on Twitter (
@NSUSharks) if games may be carried by the opposing team. Live stats will be available
HERE.
For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit
www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by
clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
clicking here.
