DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - To be quite frank, the Nova Southeastern offense was locked in Friday night at Sliwa Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida. To the tune of five home runs, the most by a single team since the park opened back in 2001, the Sharks breezed by Embry-Riddle 20-6 en route to the series-opening victory.
Nova Southeastern trailed 4-3 after just one inning of play, yet reeled off 17 unanswered runs at one point to improve to 26-15 overall on the season.
Kevin Suarez and Jeremy Vasquez tagged back-to-back jacks in the first to ignite the attack before Jake Anchia, Sebastian Diaz and Michael Hernandez joined in on the act as the Sharks reached the 20-run plateau for the first time since February 19, 2016.
"We had some really good swings tonight," said head coach Greg Brown. "I think we've been playing good baseball, but haven't quite gotten the results we've wanted. This is the time of year you have to get hot, and I think these guys are activated and ready to go. I'm really proud of the performance."
Nova Southeastern put up crooked numbers in four of the first five innings, but added the exclamation point with a seven-run sixth in which 13 batters were sent to the plate. Anchia led off the frame with his 12th round-tripper of the season, and third in as many ball games. Two batters later, Diaz started into his home run trot after driving in Brandon Gomez with a two-run blast beyond the wall in left. In fact, the offense was clicking so well that five runs were tallied in the sixth before a single out was even recorded.
Starter Matt Hardy brushed off a rocky first inning by rattling off four consecutive scoreless frames in the effort. Through five innings of work, the right-hander fanned a pair to earn win No. 6 on the year.
Five players in the Sharks' lineup notched three hits apiece, including Hernandez, whose four-RBI night marked a season high.
"We just wanted to be aggressive," said Hernandez about the team's approach at the plate. "We had good preparation the last two days, and it really showed tonight."
NSU will look to carry over Friday's momentum when both teams return to the diamond for the first of two on Saturday at 1 p.m. For complete coverage throughout the afternoon, log onto NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_Baseball.
TWEETS OF THE NIGHT
