Box Score WINTER PARK, Fla. – The top ranked Nova Southeastern University Sharks (32-9, 12-4 SSC) baseball team dropped game one of the three-game Sunshine State Conference series against the Rollins College Tars (19-22, 4-12 SSC, falling by a score of 4-2.
Rollins took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, leading the inning with a single, followed by a RBI double down the right field line. NSU answered immediately, scoring two runs in the top of the third inning to take a 2-1 lead. With the bases loaded,
Alexander Fernandez (Sr., Davie, Fla.) drove a ball to deep left field for a sacrifice fly to score
Dylan Woods (So., New Symrna Beach, Fla.). The Tars then committed an error on a
Justin Garcia (Jr., Hialeah, Fla.) ground ball, allowing
Roche Woodard (Sr., Tampa, Fla.) to score from third base.
NSU's starting pitcher
Roberto Baroniel (Sr., Miami, Fla.) was pulled from the game after 4.1 innings pitched, as the Tars took a 4-2 lead on an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth inning and two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Both teams went scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings, and in the bottom of the eighth inning, the rain began to pour down, delaying the game for two and a half hours.
The game resumed at 8:30 p.m. with a Rollins runner on second and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 2-2 count.
Devin Raftery (R-Jr., Deltona, Fla.) in relief of
Zachary Westcott (R-Sr., Weston, Fla.) and threw one pitch, striking out the Rollins hitter.
The Sharks threatened in the top of the ninth, putting runners on first and second with two outs with the top of the lineup stepping to the plate, but a Woodard strikeout ended the threat and the game, giving NSU its ninth loss of the season. Baroniel earned the loss, dropping his record to 6-3.
NSU will be back in action Saturday afternoon, with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Be sure to tune in, following the links on the schedule page.
