FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Paced by a three-RBI effort from
Mike Rojas and five shutout innings from the bullpen, Nova Southeastern overcame an early 3-0 hole to defeat Florida Southern 9-5 on Senior Day at the NSU Baseball Complex. The victory locks up the series win for the Sharks, who have now outscored the Moccasins by a combined 43-14 margin in their last three regular season meetings.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final Score: Nova Southeastern – 9, Florida Southern – 5
Records: Nova Southeastern (31-15, 18-11 SSC), Florida Southern (21-22, 7-16 SSC)
Location: NSU Baseball Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_Baseball | Instagram - @NSU_Baseball | Facebook - /NSUSharksAthletics
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Sharks opened sluggishly following Saturday's Senior Day festivities, as Florida Southern grabbed a 1-0 lead before the first out of the ball game was even recorded. With a runner on third and two outs, Nova Southeastern starting pitcher
Nathan Campbell appeared to work his way out of the inning, but a fielding error prolonged the frame, adding to the Mocs' early advantage.
The Sharks looked to respond right away after an
Andrew Labosky one-out double. However, an inning-ending groundout to first would prevent Nova Southeastern from cutting into the deficit.
Florida Southern continued its strong start in the top of the second when a Vaun Brown homer to left made it a 3-0 contest. A
Bryan Diaz lead-off walk would aid the Sharks in the bottom of the frame, though. After reaching on four pitches, the sophomore would advance all the way to third on a failed pick-off attempt before scoring on a Rojas base knock.
Feeding off their second-inning momentum, the Sharks pushed across three more runs in the third to grab their first lead of the afternoon at 4-3. A
Samuel Duran RBI-single kick-started the rally, with
Daniel Irisarri plating another on a long single off the wall in left.
Brandon Chinea collected an RBI on a fielder's choice to third later in the same inning. However, the one-run edge lasted a matter a minutes, as Florida Southern countered with back-to-back homers to reclaim a 5-4 lead.
The lead changes kept coming in the bottom of the fourth. Consecutive walks by
Christian Demby and Duran gave way to Rojas with the bases loaded and two outs. Sitting with a 1-1 count, the senior laced a liner up the middle, handing Nova Southeastern a 6-5 advantage.
The lead would double, too, thanks to Irisarri's second RBI-single of the contest. Campbell's day was done following four innings of work, yet from there, the bullpen stabilized the game, allowing the Sharks to capture the series victory.
Anthony Difede tossed three scoreless innings in relief, surrendering just one hit. Keeping the 7-5 margin intact, Nova Southeastern was then able to build its lead to 9-5 after
Garrett Wolforth blasted his 10th homer of the season in the bottom of the seventh.
Brock Minich replaced Difede in the eighth, and would go on to toss two shutout innings, lowering his earned run average to 2.74 on the season.
STATS OF THE NIGHT
- Labosky recorded his third three-hit effort over the last four games, raising his team-best average to .398 on the year.
- With Saturday's win, Nova Southeastern now improves to a remarkable 19-3 at home this season.
- Eight of the Sharks' nine starters notched at least one hit.
- The Sharks lit up Florida Southern starter Cooper Bradford for seven earned runs on 10 hits in five innings of work.
- Nova Southeastern's 2-5 hitters in the order accounted for eight of the team's nine runs.
- After connecting on his 10th homer of the season, Wolforth is now one of just two players in the Sunshine State Conference to reach double digits in that category.
UP NEXT:
Nova Southeastern will go for the series sweep over Florida Southern in the regular season finale on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_Baseball or visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com.
