Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University's baseball team (6-0) obtained their second sweep of the season, handing the visiting Delta State Statemen (0-3) two losses on Saturday afternoon. The Sharks won game one of the doubleheader by a score of 3-2 and game two by a score of 1-0.
Game 1 In game one of the doubleheader, the cardiac Sharks won in walk-off fashion, scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Roche Woodard (Sr., Tampa, Fla.) earned the game-winning RBI after watching ball four cross the plate, allowing
Nick McNeil (Jr., Clearwater, Fla.) to score.
Devin Raftery (R-Jr., Deltona, Fla.) earned the win, tossing four innings in relief and striking out five batters.
The Sharks drew first blood in the bottom of the third inning, rallying with two outs to score one run. Dylan Woods (So., New Symrna Beach, Fla.) singled through the left side and eventually scored on a failed pickoff attempt by the Statesmen pitcher. Delta State countered in the top of the sixth, scoring one run on a sacrifice fly to centerfield. The damage was kept to a minimum by Raftery, who came on in relief of
Alex Mateo (Jr., Miami, Fla.), leaving two runners in scoring position.
The intensity level spiked in the top of the eighth inning when the Statesmen took a one-run lead on a infield single, scoring the runner from third. The top of the eighth inning ended with a collision at home plate that cleared nearly half of both benches. The Sharks would threaten to tie in the bottom of the eighth, but failed to score.
With three outs to work with, NSU only needed two outs to win the ballgame. After two quick flyouts, the Sharks looked as if they were going to take their first loss of the season. That all changed after a two-out rally that saw a walk, a single, a walk, a wild pitch that scored the game-tying run, a walk and finally a walk that pushed the winning run across.
Game 2 In game two of the doubleheader, the Sharks only needed one run thanks to the five-hit shutout from
Ryan Castellanos (Jr., Davie, Fla.).
The Sharks earned their lone run in the bottom of the first inning when Woodard reached on an error by the second baseman. After advancing to second on the over-throw, Woodard scored on a single from
Andres Visbal (So., Miami, Fla.).
The Statesmen wouldn't go down without a fight, threatening to score in both the second and fourth innings. Delta State left six runners on base throughout the contest. Unfortunately for the Statesmen, they couldn't cash in on a stellar two-hit pitching performance from their starting pitcher, Austin Rice.
Castellanos finished the game with six strikeouts, earning his second win of the season. The Sharks will be back in action next Friday, Feb. 13, when they host the No. 11 Southern New Hampshire Penman.
