BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Nova Southeastern softball team will face the Florida Southern Moccasins in a three-game Sunshine State Conference series, starting with a single game on Friday, April 4 at 6 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
The Sharks recently split a doubleheader with No. 22 Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday, April 1. After falling in the first game, 3-2, NSU bounced back in game two in dramatic fashion and took a 7-6 victory in eighth innings.
In game two, Erika Garcia (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) hammered a first-pitch home run to right center in the bottom of the seventh inning and tied the game at 6-6 to force extra-inning play. Garcia delivered for NSU on both sides of the field in the eighth inning. In the top of the eighth, Garcia, pitching for Rebecca Thornton (Fr., Lodi, Calif.), threw back-to-back strikeouts, before the third out was caught by Lorena Spaulding (Jr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) in centerfeild. The Sailfish set-up the game winning run with a infield throwing error that allowed Melanie Spicola (Jr., Umatilla, Fla.) to reach second base. Garcia then hit the walk-off RBI single into centerfield, allowing Spicola to round the bases and score the game-winning run.
Garcia went 5-for-9 at the plate on the day, with two runs and four RBI. Gina Bondarenko (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) went 2-for-5 with both hits bringing in a run for the Sharks.
The game one loss broke the Sharks' eight game-winning streak, but the game two victory means the team has won 10 of their last 12 games.
Recently, the Moccasins swept Florida Tech in two extra-inning doubleheader games. Brandi Jones pitched for Florida Southern in their 10-inning, 2-1 game one win, throwing all 10 innings, allowing six hits, one run and striking out four.
The Mocs' 4-2, 14-inning game in the nightcap marked the longest game they have won in program history. Priscilla Gonzales hit the game-winning RBI with a groundout to third, with the second runner scoring on an error.
All-time, the Sharks are two games away from tying their 20-18 record against FSC. Last time the teams met was almost a year ago, April 13, 2013, in which NSU was swept in a doubleheader.
In game one, Jennie Von Doellen (Sr., Hudson Bay, Canada) had a solid pitching performance despite the 2-0 loss. Von Doellen struck out two batters, allowing just five hits on the day.
In game two, Spaulding (Jr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) went 1-for-2 with one run and Garcia went 1-for-3 with a game tying home run before the Mocs took the 3-2 win.
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.
Tweet #GoNSUSharks
