ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University softball team (9-21, 1-10 SSC) dropped a doubleheader to Sunshine State Conference (SSC) opponent Eckerd (17-11-1, 4-4 SSC) on Friday night with scores of 3-1 and 12-9.
Megan Granitto (Fr., Wellington, Fla.) took the loss in the first game to bring her record to 4-5 on the season. She held the Tritons to just two hits, three walks and earned three strikeouts. The Sharks put up a total of four hits from four different players. Nikole Van Gennep (11-7) gets the win for Eckerd giving up four hits, two walks and getting two strikeouts.
Erica Winter (Fr., Blaine, Minn.) falls to 2-8 on the year after six innings with 12 hits, five earned runs, two walks and picking up three strikeouts. Eight of nine Sharks put up a hit in the contest with the team combining for a total of 14. Granitto and
Katey Blummer (Jr., Naples, Fla.) led the way going 4-for-5 with three RBI and 3-for-5 with two RBI, respectively. Van Gennep sees her second win of the night after six innings pitched, relinquishing nine hits and four earned runs.
Game 1Haley Gonzales (So., Boca Raton, Fla.) started things off for the Sharks with a double to left field in the top of the second but was left on base. The Tritons answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning off of two NSU errors and a wild pitch from Granitto.
The Sharks were able to get on the board in the top of the sixth.
Sabrina Fischer (Fr., Loxahatchee, Fla.) saw her first hit of the season, advanced to second off a sacrifice by
Ashley Roe (Jr., Flower Mound Texas), stole third and was driven in by a Granitto single to left field.
Eckerd would put up their third and final run in the bottom of the sixth off of one hit.
Sophia Devesa (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) tried to start a two-out rally with a double to right center but was left on base.
Game 2Game two was an offensive battle from the start with the Sharks getting on the board first as Granitto hit a double to left and was brought home by a Devesa single.
NSU would go up 5-0 in the top of the second off of three hits and one error. Winter started things off with a double to left center, advances to third off a single by Roe and comes in on a wild pitch from Janna Gaburo. Villella then walks and steals second to put two runners on. Granitto drives in Roe and Villella with her first home run of the year to left field. The Triton then bring in Van Gennep to pitch with one out.
The Tritons answered with six runs of their own with two outs in the bottom of the second to take a 6-5 lead. The team saw singles from Dana Paul, Kaleigh Floyd and Kaycie Duncan and a double by Rachael Luckett. The Sharks took the lead again in the top of the third.
Jessie Brown (So., Hollywood, Fla.) began with a single followed Roe reaching on a fielder's choice, Villella walked and Granitto singled to load the bases. Blummer hit a two-out two-RBI single to take NSU to 7-6.
Luckett saw her second hit of the night to bring in two runs and Stephanie Wolfrom drove in two more off a single to center field to give Eckerd a 10-7 led in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs in the fifth, back-to-back singles from Granitto, Blummer and
Dajia Jones (Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.) brought the Sharks within two at 10-8.
The Tritons widened the gap to 12-8 in the bottom of the fifth inning off of one hit and three Shark errors. NSU attempted to stage a two-out rally in the top of the seventh as Blummer singled and Jones hit a RBI single to score Granitto, but Gonzales hit a groundball to the first baseman for the final out.
The Sharks will play game three of this conference series on Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m. Links to live stats and live video of the game can be found at nsusharks.com.
