WINTER PARK, Fla. -- The Nova Southeastern University softball team (11-27, 1-16 SSC) dropped both ends of a Sunshine State Conference doubleheader to the Rollins Tars (26-6-1, 9-2 SSC) on Friday night at MLK Park. The Sharks dropped the first game of the series 7-4 and later fell in the nightcap 7-0.
In what started out scheduled as a single game on Friday followed by a Saturday doubleheader, coaches and administrators decided to shuffle the conference three-game series around and play the doubleheader on Friday followed by a single game on Saturday to beat incoming weather in the Central Florida area.
Although the Sharks rallied late in the first game scoring four runs in the final inning, NSU fell short dropping both games. Now 5-8 on the season, Megan Granitto (Fr., Wellington, Fla.) suffered the loss in the circle in the first game allowing seven runs on nine hits, while Dajia Jones (Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.) fell to 4-10 on the year after giving up seven runs on 11 hits in game two.
The series will conclude on Saturday with a single game slated to start at 10 am at MLK Park in Winter Park, Fla. pending inclement weather.
Game 1
Rollins would jump out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first. Tiffany Osmanski got the Tars started with a two-run homer in the top of the first. Afterward, Brianne Lint and Courtney Durbin each drove in runs to contribute to Rollins' early lead.
The Tars would go on to add two more runs in the bottom of the second and another in the bottom half of the fifth to extend their lead to 7-0.
However, the Sharks were not going to go down without a fight. To start the final inning, Katey Blummer (Jr., Naples, Fla.) drew a walk to lead off the seventh. Jones followed with a single and then Haley Gonzales (So., Boca Raton, Fla.) walked to load the bases. Jessie Brown (So., Hollywood, Fla.) then picked up her second hit of the day to plate the Sharks' first run of the game.
Sabrina Fischer (Fr., Loxahatchee, Fla.) then reached on an RBI fielder's choice that scored Jones and Ashley Roe (Flower Mound, Texas) followed up with an RBI double. With two outs, Dakota Villella (Jr., Hollywood, Fla.) drove in NSU's fourth run of the inning, but a ground out ended the inning with the Sharks falling in the first game of the twin bill, 7-4.
Game 2
In game two of the series, Rollins once again jumped out to an early lead, this time on a first-inning solo home run from Jule Kranz. Kranz would go on to belt two more homers finishing the day going 4-for-4 at the plate and drove in five runs.
With a 1-0 lead, the Tars added four runs in the second and two more in the fourth to account for all seven of their runs and the 7-0 final score. NSU's Granitto led the Sharks at the plate in the second game going 2-for-3.
