FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Jake Anchia set the new Nova Southeastern career home run record as part of a seven-run sixth inning, as the 15
th-ranked Sharks busted open a tight ball game en route to an eventual 11-1 victory Thursday night in the Sunshine State Conference series opener against Rollins.
Jeffrey Cyr and
Dylan Harris also went deep during the historic inning, while starter
Devin Conn carved up the Tars for nine strikeouts in the dominant all-around effort.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 11, Rollins 1
Records: Nova Southeastern (18-9, 10-3 SSC), Rollins (16-12, 4-6 SSC)
Location: NSU Baseball Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_Baseball | Instagram - @NSU_Baseball | Facebook - /NSUSharksAthletics
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Following an
Ian Acevedo RBI-single in the bottom of the first, the Sharks leaned on Conn and the defense to cling to a 1-0 edge before the offense found its mojo. The sophomore right-hander surrendered just one hit through his first five innings of work, and set down nine straight batters until the Tars snapped the streak with two away in the top of the sixth.
Still in front by the identical 1-0 margin,
Andrew Liberty opened the home half of the sixth with a four-pitch walk. Anchia stepped to the dish in the ensuing at-bat, and facing an 0-2 count, launched a hanging slider well over the scoreboard in left field for career home run No. 36, breaking the previous all-time mark set by
Brandon Gomez. The big fly clearly energized the rest of the lineup, too, as the Sharks quickly transformed a pitchers' duel into a blowout. With Acevedo sitting at second base with one away,
Samuel Duran roped a triple into deep right center. As Duran put the brakes on at third, though, an errant throw skipped into the Nova Southeastern dugout, allowing Duran to come all the way around on the play to extend the lead to 5-0. Just two batters later, Cyr found his power stroke, connecting on his first career home run on a two-run shot off the scoreboard. Harris would soon make it back-to-back jacks on yet another deep blast to left, stretching the margin to 8-0 on his sixth dinger of the season.
The Sharks weren't done, either, and tacked on three more in the seventh on run-scoring hits by Duran and
Nathan Chevalier to put a bow on their sixth consecutive SSC victory.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Following a 2-for-4 night at the plate, Harris has now moved into sole possession of fourth on the all-time SSC hit list, surpassing Rollins' Jason Cloar.
- Through five home starts this season, Conn has posted an earned run average of 1.54 to go along with 57 strikeouts and only six walks. In four of those five outings, he has failed to permit an extra-base hit.
- The Sharks recorded eight hits over the final three innings after totaling just one through the first five.
- As a team, Nova Southeastern has combined for 10 homers over the last three games, including four from Anchia.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks and Tars will square off in game two of the series tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. ET. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_Baseball or visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com.
