FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In a ball game that changed leads five times, it was
Dylan Harris and No. 9 Nova Southeastern that had the last laugh Friday, as the first baseman delivered the go-ahead, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Sharks to a wild 7-5 victory over Eckerd in the series opener at the NSU Baseball Complex. The Tritons plated a pair of runs in the top half of the inning, yet Harris delivered in crunch time to help extend Nova Southeastern's win streak in Sunshine State Conference play to 15 games.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 7, Eckerd 5
Records: Nova Southeastern (27-10, 19-3 SSC), Eckerd (20-19, 10-12 SSC)
Location: NSU Baseball Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
Nova Southeastern needed all of two pitches to create some separation in the bottom of the first inning. Harris found an alley in right-center field for a lead-off triple before
Nick Gallo put the Sharks instantly on top 1-0 following a sacrifice fly to center.
No lead was safe in this one, however. The Trtions would respond just two innings later after opening the third with four consecutive singles, including a run-scoring hit to third base. An RBI-groundout in the ensuing at-bat allowed Eckerd to grab its first lead of the evening, 2-1, until Nova Southeastern starter
Devin Conn calmly settled back in and stranded a pair of runners with back-to-back strikeouts.
The Sharks deficit was short-lived, though. A
Nathan Chevalier lead-off base hit followed by a
Jeffrey Cyr bunt single keyed a third-inning rally. Both runners would move up 90 feet with two away when
Andrew Liberty stroked a 0-1 offering from Eckerd starter Dillon McCollough into left for the 3-2 advantage.
The Tritons pulled back even at 3-3 in the fourth, where the score would remain heading into the bottom of the seventh. With McCollough still on the hill for Eckerd, Liberty forced the left-hander from the contest with a deep solo shot to left center to hand Nova Southeastern the slim, 4-3 edge.
Yet, it was only a matter of time for the momentum to shift once again, which proved to be the case in the top of the eighth. Eckerd's Bryan Torres forced a 4-4 tie with a towering blast into left. Justin Glover then followed with a single, and advanced all the way to third after a two-base error, before scoring on a bang-bang play at the plate on a sac fly to left.
Needing at least one run, the Sharks were assisted by two straight Eckerd errors with one away in the last of the eighth. A wild pitch moved
Samuel Duran and Chevalier into scoring position an out later when Harris stepped to the plate. Faced with a 1-1 count, the fifth-year senior found a hole through the left side of the infield to plate both runners and continue the topsy-turvy night. After moving to second on the throw home, Harris would soon provide Nova Southeastern with some extra insurance thanks to a passed ball and a wild pitch.
A twp-run cushion was more than plenty for Sharks' closer
Joe Strzelecki, too, as the righty induced a soft grounder to third with two outs in the ninth to seal the 'W.'
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Conn tallied 10 strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work, marking the fifth time this season he's recorded double-digit K's.
- Harris and Liberty finished with three hits apiece, combining for six of NSU's 10 hits in the effort.
- Ryan Maya earned the win on the mound, moving to 1-1 overall this season.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks and Tritons will continue the weekend series on Saturday with doubleheader action set to begin at 1 p.m. ET. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_Baseball or visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com.
