WINTER PARK, Fla. – After a long day at the field, the Nova Southeastern University softball team finally completed their Sunshine State Conference series against Rollins, falling on the road Saturday by the score of 11-1 in five innings.
With the entire series moved around in the attempt to avoid inclement weather (including making Friday a doubleheader), Saturday's finale began prior to the 10 a.m. scheduled start time, but was still halted twice. The second lightning delay between the Sharks (11-28, 1-17 SSC) and Tars (27-6-1, 10-2 SSC) lasted for nearly two hours (from 10:55 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.) before play was tapped to restart again at 7 p.m. At that point, it was midway through the third inning with the home team leading 4-1.
The Sharks had scored first, in the first, when
Dakota Villella (Jr., Hollywood, Fla.) successfully took home on the front end of a double steal. She led off the game by reaching on an error, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Megan Granitto (Fr., Wellington, Fla.), and then sped on to third on a single by
Katey Blummer (Jr., Naples, Fla.). She and Blummer each moved up on the double steal, with Villella coming across.
Rollins came through with four runs in their half of the second, and their starting pitcher, Grace Street, stranded two NSU runners on the basepaths in the top of the third before weather struck again.
When the game did resume, it was actually about 6:30 p.m., so the second delay lasted an approximate total of 7:35. In the immediate frame, the bottom of the third, the Tars added another tally with a two-out home run to take a 5-1 lead.
Rollins tacked on six more in the fourth, including a bases-loaded triple to start. In their last turn, NSU's Blummer reached on a two-out single for her and the team's second hit of the game, but was stranded there after the final out.
NSU starter Granitto went the distance, in and around the delay, dropping her record to 5-9 on the season.
The Sharks return home this weekend to play SSC provisional member Palm Beach Atlantic. The three-game set against the Sailfish begins with a single game Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a doubleheader Saturday at the AD Griffin Sports Complex, starting at 1.
