Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Nova Southeastern University softball team (10-8, 1-2 SSC) split Saturday's doubleheader against Eckerd (11-7, 2-1 SSC), winning 2-0 in the first game and falling 3-1 in the second.

Dakota Villella (Fr., Hollywood, Fla.) went 3-for-6 and scored a run for the Sharks. Erika Garcia (Sr., Pembroke Pines) and Samira Tanaka (Sr., Sao Paulo, Brazil) brought in NSU's two RBI of the day. Senior Jennie Von Doellen (Sr., Hudson Bay, Canada)  pitched 11 complete innings, allowing seven hits and striking out seven.
 
Game One

After five scoreless innings on each side, the Sharks got the first run of the day in the top of the sixth. Melanie Spicola (Jr., Umatilla, Fla.) singled to left field and advanced to second on a passed ball. The next batter, Villella, reached first on a fielder's choice, allowing enough time for Spicola to arrive safely at third. Spicola took advantage of a fielding error by the Tritons' shortstop and sprinted home to put the Sharks up, 1-0.

The second run came in the top of the seventh, starting off with a Lorena Spaulding (Jr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) bunt, and she advanced to second on a throwing error. Gina Bondarenko (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) was next to bat and grounded out to first base, advancing Spaulding to third. Garcia brought Spaulding home with a RBI single to left field to put the Sharks up two.

Von Doellen earned the complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits and two walks, while striking out four.
 
Game Two

Back-to-back throwing errors by the Sharks allowed the Tritons to get an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

The Sharks would not get on the board until the top of the third. Villella singled to left-center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Tanaka then notched an RBI single to left field to tie the game at 1-1. 

The Tritons took the lead when Chelsea Jeffares and Kaycie Duncan both notched RBI doubles in the bottom of the fifth, and Eckerd went on to take a 3-1 win.

Von Doellen took the tough-luck loss in her second start of the day, allowing the three Eckerd runs on only five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Three of those hits came in the fifth, and Rebecca Thornton (Fr., Lodi, Cali.) came on in relief, allowing no more runs to cross while holding the Tritons scoreless in the final inning to give the Sharks a shot at a comeback. 

NSU continues road play in West Palm Beach, Fla.. this Wednesday, March 5, taking on the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish at 5 p.m.

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