TAMPA, Fla. – The fifth-seeded Nova Southeastern (34-16) baseball team eliminated fourth-seeded West Florida (37-18) to advance to the first Sharks' NCAA DII South Region Final since the 2016 season on Friday night, wrapping up a two-victory day to advance. The effort was guided by a stellar pitching performance from
Devin Meyer to carry the Sharks to the 5-3 victory on a stalwart nine-inning run.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final Score: Nova Southeastern –
5, West Florida –
3
Records: Nova Southeastern (34-16), West Florida (37-18)
Location: UT Baseball Field | Tampa, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Argonauts showed that they came ready to battle in the early going, getting on the board in the second with a two-run Robert Lopez home run to left field. However, UWF didn't account for the determination Meyer brought to the UT Baseball Field on Saturday. The senior starter quickly settled in and gave the Sharks offense time to gel.
The Sharks didn't let the deficit simmer for long, producing an outburst in the bottom of the third that swung the momentum pendulum fully in NSU's favor. After
Brandon Chinea led off with a single and
Duncan Pastore reached base on balls. Picking up after a strong first game on the day,
Garrett Wolforth and
Christian Demby delivered back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game.
Ian Acevedo followed with a go-ahead RBI double into the right field corner.
Daniel Irisarri drove in the Sharks' fourth run of the inning on a sac fly to deep center, scoring Demby for the 4-2 lead.
The Argonauts punched back with an Matthew Estrada RBI single to shallow left field, but the Sharks reclaimed the lead in the home half, as Acevedo scored from first thanks to an error after
Samuel Duran set the table on a double through the right side.
After bouncing back from some challenges early, Meyer went on to deliver one of the best performances of his NSU career. Determined to finish what he started, Meyer tossed his first nine-inning complete game, matching a career high of seven strikeouts, scattering nine hits on the night.
The Sharks move on to face top-seeded Tampa on Saturday.
STATS OF THE DAY:
- This marks the first advancement for the Sharks to the Regional Final since the 2016 National Championship season.
- Meyer is the second player this season to go 9.0 innings this season, after Nathan Campbell vs. Florida Tech in March.
- Despite being limited to six hits, the Sharks drew five walks, stealing two bases to advance the cause.
- Meyer walked just one West Florida batter.
- The Sharks hit 2-for-5 (.400) with runners in scoring position, while they held UWF to just 3-of-14 (.214).
- Batting in the nine hole, Chinea stepped up with a team-leading 2-for-4 performance, scoring once.
- Wolforth and Demby each went 1-for-4 with one RBI and one run apiece, while Irisarri added another RBI, walking twice with a sac fly.
DIRECT FROM HEAD COACH GREG BROWN, DEVIN MEYER AND CHRISTIAN DEMBY
UP NEXT
The Nova Southeastern Sharks will face No. 1 Tampa Spartans on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. The Spartans are the lone Regional team without a loss. An NSU win would send the teams to a second game, set for 3:30 p.m.
