Box Score

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Completing its third sweep of the season, Nova Southeastern University's baseball team (9-0) defeated the No. 11 Southern New Hampshire University Penmen (0-3) on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, winning by a score of 6-3.

NSU used clutch hitting to pull away from the Penmen, taking a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run homerun from Justin Garcia (Jr., Hialeah, Fla.). That is all the run support that Ryan Castellanos (Jr., Davie, Fla.) and Devin Raftery (R-Jr., Deltona, Fla.) needed, combining to hold the Penmen to five hits, while striking out twelve. Castellanos earned his third win of the year and Raftery his second save.

Castellanos began the game recording two quick outs, but the Penmen got on the scoreboard first, smashing a hanging slider over the left field fence to take an early 1-0 lead. The Sharks answered back in the bottom of the third inning with a leadoff walk from Casey Gibson (R-Jr., Fort Myers, Fla.) and a single from Roche Woodard (Sr., Tampa, Fla.). Mario Urdaneta (Sr., Ocala, Fla.) then laid a bunt down, which the SNHU pitcher threw over the third baseman's head, scoring Gibson.

The Penmen threatened in the top of the fifth inning, but Castellanos worked out of a bases loaded jam, getting a strikeout and a pop out to end the inning. The NSU offense came alive in the bottom of the fifth inning, using a three-run home run from Garcia and a single from Michael Hernandez (So., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) that scored Andres Visbal (So., Miami, Fla.).

SNHU fired back in the top of the sixth inning, scoring two runs on a clutch two-out double down the left field line. Castellanos would settle down to get the third out of the inning and then handed the ball over to Raftery to finish the game. The Sharks added one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning, thanks to a leadoff triple from Urdaneta and groundout from Visbal, scoring Urdaneta.

Raftery took care of business from the seventh inning on, striking out four batters to complete the sweep of the highly regarded No. 11 SNHU Penmen.

The Sharks will be back in action Tuesday night, hitting the road to take on the St. Thomas University Bobcats in Miami Gardens, Fla. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.