WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Wrapping up its 2019 regular season, the Nova Southeastern softball team earned two wins over the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Saturday afternoon at Simpson Field. The Sharks blanked the 'Fish, 8-0, in the first game, before grabbing a 5-1 victory in the nightcap.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME ONE):
FINAL: Nova Southeastern Sharks 8 (W: L. Storrer, 12-12), Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 0 (L: A. Busby, 22-14)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (29-20, 18-11 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (27-23, 15-14 SSC)
LOCATION: Simpson Field | West Palm Beach, Fla.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS and @NSU_Softball on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
HOW IT HAPPENED:
TOP 1ST | Leading off,
Kayla Kight drew a walk before a sacrifice bunt by
Tia Williams pushed her to second. Following,
Suka Van Gurp and
Alex Suzuki were both hit by pitches to load the bases, and two batters later,
Miriam Schmoll was also hit by a pitch to push home Kight for a 1-0 edge.
TOP 6TH | After four scoreless innings, a ground out by Williams with the bases loaded, scored
Mayte Lezcano to make it 2-0 in favor of NSU.
TOP 7TH | The Sharks exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh, taking an 8-0 lead. With Suzuki at second and Mayers at first, a double by Schmoll scored Suzuki before back-to-back walks scored another to make it 4-0. After a PBA pitching change, a another bases-loaded walk and hit by pitch pushed NSU's lead out to 6-0. The Sailfish returned back to their starting pitcher, Abbey Busby, before a single up the middle by Williams scored Lezcano for a 7-0 edge. NSU's final run came two batters later as Suzuki was hit by a pitch with the bases still loaded.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- NSU once again outhit the Sailfish 6-2.
- Williams finished 1-for-4 with two RBI, while Schmoll was 1-for-2 also tallying two RBI.
- Lezcano went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and one RBI and Suzuki was 1-for-2 with an RBI as well.
- Lexie Storrer earned the win, going the distance and allowing just two hits in the shutout win.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- This was Storrer's second shutout of the season.
- With the game one win, the Sharks take the series from the Sailfish.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME TWO):
FINAL: Nova Southeastern Sharks 5 (W: M. Schmoll, 17-7), Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 1 (L: T. Pennica, 0-4)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (30-20, 19-11 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (27-24, 15-15 SSC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
TOP 1ST | Fort the third-straight game, the Sharks were the first to reach the board as an RBI-double by Schmoll scored Van Gurp for a 1-0 edge.
BOTTOM 5TH | The Sailfish tallied their lone run of the series in the fifth inning, as Maddie Biggs singled to left field, bringing home Magnolia West to tie it, 1-1.
TOP 6TH | With the bases loaded, an RBI-single by Kight gave NSU back its lead, 2-1, before another RBI-single by Williams pushed the Sharks' lead out to 3-1. After a PBA pitching change, with the bases still loaded, Van Gurp was hit by a pitch and Suzuki drew a walk to score the final two runs for the Sharks, making it 5-1, the eventual final score.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Van Gurp was a solid 3-for-3 with an RBI and scored run while Schmoll was 3-for-4 with an RBI of her own.
- Kight went 1-for-2 with an RBI and scored run and Williams also tallied an RBI, going 1-for-4.
- Schmoll picked up her fourth consecutive win, pitching all 7.0 innings, allowing one run on six hits with two strikeouts.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The game three win signified the Sharks' 30th win of the season, their most wins since 2014.
- With the win, the overall series between the Sailfish and the Sharks moves to 46-25 in favor of NSU.
UP NEXT
The Sharks will await to hear about postseason honors from the conference office within the next week.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_Softball.
