CLERMONT, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University softball team split a pair of games in its first day of THE Spring Games held in Clermont, Fla.
 
The bats were hot for the Sharks in the first game of the day against Southern Connecticut State, as the Sharks tallied a season-high 18 runs over SCS's two in the six-inning affair. In the second game, NSU fell, 9-6 to the Vulcans of California University (Penn.) after a late-inning rally fell short.
 
With the win and the loss, NSU now stands at 13-16 on the overall season.
 
 
GAME ONE
 
For the second game in a row, Dana Edmundson led off NSU's scoring with a solo home run, this time over the right-field fence. Because one home run wasn't enough, the junior outfielder sent another bomb to the same place to tally NSU's second run of the game in the top of the third inning. The Sharks were able to add two more that inning, as a wild pitch scored Lexie Storrer and successful double steal by Megan Granitto and Ashley Roe pushed another across the plate.
 
In the top of the fourth, Mary Acosta led off with a triple to right center and after the Owls intentionally walked Edmundson, a double steal by the two baserunners gave NSU a 5-0 advantage. The next batter, Dakota Villella, laid down a perfect bunt in order to get SCS jumbled, giving time for Edmundson to sneak past and score for a 6-0 NSU lead.
 
Southern Connecticut's only runs of the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Owls' starting pitcher Delaney Turner sent a two-run homer to center.
 
In the top of the sixth inning, the Sharks exploded for 12 runs on nine hits to take a commanding 18-2 lead. After a lead-off single by Sydney Lageyre, Mary Acosta tallied her first collegiate home run, pushing the Sharks ahead, 8-2. A two-RBI double by Storrer and RBI-singles by Roe and Alex Suzuki gave NSU a13-2 lead before Acosta was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 14-2. An error by the Owls scored one more before a walk drawn by Villella and back-to-back sacrifice flies by Storrer and Granitto tallied the final two runs for the Sharks and the final winning score of 18-2.
 
Edmundson was 2-for-3 with two RBI and five runs scored, a new single-game record for the Sharks. Acosta went 2-for-3 with three RBI and scored runs while Storrer finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and scored twice. Both Villella and Lageyre were 2-for-4. Edmundson, Villella and Granitto all had two stolen bases and Roe and Acosta each had one, totaling eight in one game for the Sharks, the most since Apr. 15, 2012.
 
Storrer (9-7) was awarded the win, tossing 6.0 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts, once again tying her season-high record.
 
SCS's Delaney Turner (0-1) took the loss after spending 5.0 innings in the circle and giving up 12 runs (11 ER) on 10 hits with five walks and five strikeouts. Madison Feshler completed the final inning and allowed six runs (5 ER) on four hits with a walk.
 
GAME TWO
 
After a scoreless first inning, Cal U used back-to-back two-RBI double to take an early 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning.
 
NSU responded with a single run in the bottom half of the inning, as Lageyre sent a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Roe before the Vulcans were able to catch Megan Maloney at second to end the inning.  
 
The Sharks cut the deficit to two runs in the bottom of the third as Acosta sent a solo home run, her second long ball of the day, over the right-center fence.
 
The two teams were both scoreless over the next two frames until the Vulcans used another four-run sixth inning to jump back out to an 8-2 advantage over the Sharks.
 
The home half of the inning saw NSU utilize RBI-singles by Lageyre and Acosta to bring the score to 8-4.
 
An inning later, the visiting team on the scoreboard tacked on one more for a 9-4 lead, which also represented as their final run of the game.
 
The Sharks attempted to rally, but fell short, recording only two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a triple by Storrer and a ground out by Granitto, for a final score of 9-6.
 
Acosta finished a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored while Lageyre was 1-for-2 with two RBI and one scored run. Storrer was also 1-for-2 and tallied one RBI, one scored run and drew one walk.
 
Erica Winter (4-5) was given the loss, tossing all 7.0 innings and allowing nine runs (4 ER) on 14 hits with four strikeouts.
 
The Sharks will play two again tomorrow, starting at 3:30 p.m. against Bloomsburg before finishing the day with Slippery Rock at 6:00 p.m. Live stats will only be available for the games, and can be found on the softball schedule page on NSUSharks.com. For live updates, follow @NSUSharks and @NSUSoftball on Twitter.