Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 TAMPA, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern baseball team (24-16, 8-13 SSC) dropped the final two games of their series with the No. 1 Tampa Spartans (42-2, 17-1 SSC) Saturday afternoon. The Spartans took game one 7-2, before winning the final game of the series 11-5, to earn the sweep over the Sharks.
The score lines didn't reflect how close both games actually were, as the Sharks were tied with the Spartans in the 8th inning of game one, before the home team plated five runs in the eighth frame. Game two was similar, as the Sharks held a lead half way through game, before the Spartans rallied home 9 runs in the final three innings of the series finale.
The Sharks held a lead in each of the three games against the Spartans.
The Sharks battled with the No. 1 Spartans for the second straight game, but late-inning offense was the key for Tampa in game one. The Spartans used a five-run, two-out rally in the eighth to break up a 2-2 ballgame and give Tampa the 7-2 advantage.
The Spartans struck first in game one, doubling in a run to right center field, to give themselves the early 1-0 lead in the first.
The Sharks were able to battle back after being held scoreless through the first four innings, scoring twice during a two-out rally in the fifth.
Michael Hernandez (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) started the rally with a standup double, on a ball that was drilled down the left field line on a 3-2 count.
Geoff Jimenez (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) then brought in NSU's first run of the day, with a double of his own. The ball dropped just in front of the outstretched glove of centerfielder Connor Obrochta, giving Hernandez plenty of time to come across safely.
Alvin Swoope (Fr., Port St. Lucie, Fla.) concluded the scoring by singling in Jimenez on a ball to center, giving the Sharks a 2-1 lead.
Tampa used a two-out rally of their own in the bottom of the seventh, to even up the score at 2-2. Last night's hero, Obrochta singled through the left side, scoring the tying run from third.
Dillon Frye (Jr., Raleigh, Fla.) had a strong start for the Sharks in game one. Frye pitched six and two-thirds innings, allowed two earned on six hits and struck out six Tampa batters.
Patella (L, 2-1) suffered his first loss of the season in the first game on Saturday. Patella pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing five earned on four hits.
The start of game two mirrored Friday night's game, as NSU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
Brooks Fleming's (Sr., Palm City, Fla.) single brought in both
Mario Urdaneta (Jr., Ocala, Fla.) and Visbal. Fleming finished game two with a 3-for-3, three RBI performance for the Sharks.
The Spartans cut the lead in half in the second, with a one-run double in the second frame. The Sharks wouldn't let off, scoring another two runs in the third. Visbal used a sac fly to score Jimenez from third, followed a big two-out double from Fleming that scored Urdaneta, making the score 4-1.
Tampa cut into the lead again, on a controversial home run call in the home half of the third. Jimenez made a leaping attempt at the wall to steal the home run. The ball then flew into fair territory, after Jimenez made contact with the ball. He then snagged it out of the air, with what looked like to be an out. The umpire ruled it as a home run, believing that the ball hit off the net directly beyond the fence and into fair territory.
The home team tied the game up with two more runs in the fourth, before taking their first lead of the game, with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, giving the Spartans the 5-4 advantage. Tampa put the game out of reach after a big six-run inning in the sixth to put them up 11-4.
The Sharks picked up their final run of the series on an Urdaneta sac fly to left, scoring Jimenez from third and completing the 11-5 score line.
Josh Glick (So., Boca Raton, Fla.) (L, 1-3) suffered the loss for NSU in game two, allowing just one earned in one and a third innings pitched.
The series concludes NSU's road schedule for the 2014 season. The Sharks will now take on St. Thomas in the final half of their home-and-home series with the Bobcats, with a game on Tuesday, April 22 starting at 6 p.m.
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