Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern baseball team (7-1) ended its five-game weekend on Sunday, with a split against the visiting Pfeiffer Falcons (4-1). The Falcons handed the Sharks their first loss of the season in a 14-8 slugfest in game one, before returning the favor in the second game, winning, 5-3, in a close one.
Mario Urdaneta (Jr., Ocala, Fla.) had a breakout hitting performance, going a combined 6-for-7 in the two games, tallying a RBI and scoring three times.
Ronald Patella (So., Davie, Fla.) picked up his team-high third save of the season in game two. Patella pitched two solid innings, not allowing a hit and striking out two while holding on to the two-run lead.
Game one turned out to be an exciting yet error-filled game for the Sharks, committing a season-high five errors in the six run loss.
NSU started the scoring in the first inning, with two runs, before Pfeiffer took the lead permanently, scoring a combined nine runs in the second and third innings. The Sharks would not go down without a fight, scoring five runs in the fourth through sixth innings, which included a
Casey Gibson (So., Fort Myers, Fla.) two-run home run in the sixth to cut the lead to 9-7. This was Gibson's first home run of the year.
The Falcons didn't let off the gas, scoring three more runs in the seventh and two in the eighth. The Sharks did get a run back in the bottom of the eighth off an Urdaneta single, but it was not enough as the game finished 14-8.
Alexander Fernandez (Jr., Davie, Fla.) had a strong outing in relief, not allowing a hit against the first 14 batters he faced. Fernandez pitched 4.2 innings, allowing just one hit on three runs against, none of which were earned.
Geoff Jimenez (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) had a season-high two RBI in game one. His single up the middle in the second scored
Yandy Viera (Jr., Hialeah, Fla.) from third , then his two-out single on a bunt brought Fernandez home in the fourth.
Andres Visbal (Fr., Miami) brought in two more runs, on a 1-for-5 performance at the plate in game one. Visbal now has eight RBI on the season.
Ryan Woodrey (Jr., Lighthouse Point, Fla.) got the bat going, with a 2-for-4 performanc and a run.
Casey Kopec (So., Coral Springs, Fla.) pitched the final two innings of the early game, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out two.
Game two turned out to be a tighter ball game, after Pfeiffer drew first blood in the first inning, scoring a run on a ground out to short. The inning ended when John Elwood tried to score from second on a Matt Wade single up the middle. However, Jimenez threw him out from centerfield on a one-hopper to the catcher Woodrey, who tagged out Elwood at the plate for the final out of the inning.
The Sharks tied the game back up in the bottom half of the first after a Visbal single scored Jimenez from third.
After a two-run second for the Falcons, the Sharks knotted the game back up at three, when Woodrey and Fernandez had back-to-back RBI in the third inning. This was Woodrey's first RBI of the season.
The Sharks took that momentum and didn't look back. In the fourth,
Brooks Fleming (Sr., Palm City, Fla.) batted in his eighth and ninth runners of the season on a huge double to left field, bringing in Urdaneta and
Kavan Thompson (So., Melbourne, Fla.) from second and third, respectively.
The Falcons couldn't bring in another run, behind the combination of
Julian Loret de Mola (Jr., Miami) and Patella. De Mola pitched for five of the seven innings, striking out seven batters and allowing just two earned on eight hits.
The Sharks will get a much needed two days rest before they take a short trip to St. Thomas for a 6 p.m. game in Miami Gardens, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 12.
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.
