Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
MELBOURNE, Fla. – The No. 6 Nova Southeastern baseball team (14-2, 2-1 SSC) split Saturday's doubleheader with No. 5 Florida Tech, dropping the first game, 10-2, then bouncing back with a 3-2 win in the latter. The split gives the Sharks the 2-1 series win over the Panthers on the road in Sunshine State Conference play.
Andres Visbal (Fr., Miami) went a combined 3-for-8 in the doubleheader, recording all three of the Sharks RBI on the day.
Dillon Frye (Jr., Raleigh, N.C.) picked up his first win as a Shark, pitching four innings in the second game, allowing just two runs, all in the first, on four hits.
The Sharks picked up their series-clinching win after what looked to be another high-powered FIT game, scoring two quick runs in the first. However, Frye and the Sharks held strong and opened the scoring, with a three-run third.
Visbal brought across the first run of the game for NSU on a bases loaded groundout to the first.
Ryan Woodrey (Jr., Lighthouse Point, Fla.), the next batter in the order, hit two-out fly ball to right, setting up with what looked to be a routine fly out to end the inning. However, the ball hit off Jimmie Koch's glove and onto the grass scoring both
Brooks Fleming (Sr., Palm City, Fla.) and Mario Urdaneta (Jr., Ocala, Fla.), bringing the lead to what turned out to be the final score of 3-2.
The Sharks still had to hold the Panthers scoreless for another five innings.
Alexander Fernandez (Jr., Davie, Fla.) came in the game in relief for Frye in the fifth, and dealt his way through a hitless three innings of work to pick of his first save of the year. Fernandez struck out four.
Both Swoope and Urdaneta finished the game with 2-for-3 performances at the dish, each scoring once.
The losing pitcher Grant Willcoxon pitched four innings, allowing three, one earned, on four hits.
The Sharks suffered their first SSC loss of the season, after NSU seemed to be in control early, scoring two quick runs in the first inning of the early game.
Visbal brought in both Fleming and Urdaneta who were standing on second and third, respectively. Visbal drove a ball just inside the left-field line to score the two runners.
The Panthers answered right away, scoring two runs of their own in the home half of the first.
Julian Loret de Mola (Jr., Miami), sat down the next six batters in the FIT order, before the Panthers took the lead for good, with a run coming in the fourth and fifth innings for the home side.
After another run came across in the seventh for FIT, the Panthers opened up the game in the eighth, scoring five times to put the game out of reach for NSU going into the top half of the ninth.
Loret de Mola (3-1) pitched five innings for the Sharks, striking out two and allowing four runs, two of which were earned.
Seth Natal (Jr., Oakland Park, Fla.) was first in relief for Loret de Mola in the sixth. Natal pitched 2.1, allowing five runs on just one Panther hit against him.
Drew Packard (Sr., Knoxville, Tenn.) and
Matt Hardy (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) finished out the game for NSU in the eighth.
Visbal had two of the Sharks four hits in game one. Urdaneta and Fleming recorded the other two.
The winning pitcher, Scott Ward (4-0), stymied the Sharks in game one, allowing just four hits over eight innings of work.
The Sharks will return home for a mid-week game, Wednesday, March 5 against Southern New Hampshire at 6 p.m.
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