LAKELAND, Fla. – Starting pitcher
Brady Acker's final line doesn't truly reflect the type of stuff the junior right-hander put on display Saturday against top seed Florida Southern. Acker allowed just two hits while striking out eight through his first six innings of work, yet ran into a bit of trouble in the seventh as the Sharks watched a scoreless ball game turn into an eventual 5-1 setback versus the Moccasins. The Sharks will look to stay alive in the NCAA South Region Tournament as they now await the winner of Albany State/Mississippi College.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Florida Southern 5, Nova Southeastern 1
Records: Florida Southern (40-9-1),
Nova Southeastern (35-15)
Location: Henley Field | Lakeland, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
Both Acker and Florida Southern starter Logan Browning battled pitch-for-pitch against one another, surrendering a combined four hits heading into the seventh inning.
Searching for some sort of offensive spark, Nova Southeastern appeared in business when
Samuel Duran roped a liner into right center to lead off the top half of the seventh. However, a sliding grab at the warning track by the Florida Southern centerfielder halted any momentum for the Sharks, and instead proved to be a game-changing play for the Mocs.
Still knotted up at 0-0 in the bottom of the inning, Florida Southern put the first two runners aboard until an opposite-field, three-run homer by Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year Jacob Teter broke the tie. The 3-0 margin soon grew to 5-0 following another big fly, forcing Acker from the contest following the promising start.
Dylan Harris would erase the shutout after connecting on his 10
th homer of the year in the eighth, but the late offense proved to be too little too late.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Harris' eighth-inning bomb extended his program-record hit streak to 34 games.
- Brock Minich threw 1.1 scoreless innings in relief Saturday.
- The Sharks' three hits marked the fewest in any game this season.
UP NEXT:
Weather continues to play a factor in Lakeland, Fla., but as of now, the Sharks are scheduled to face the winner of Albany State/Mississippi College at some point later today. To stay up-to-date and for complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_Baseball or visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com.
