WINTER PARK, Fla. – Nova Southeastern was held without a hit until the fifth inning, and mustered just four total, as the Sharks watched their six-game win streak come to an end Friday following a 4-0 defeat at Rollins in their Sunshine State Conference opener.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: Rollins 4 (W: Worrell, 5-0), Nova Southeastern (L: Hess, 4-2)
RECORDS: Rollins (9-0, 1-0 SSC), Nova Southeastern (8-3, 0-1 SSC)
LOCATION: Rollins Softball Stadium at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park | Winter Park, Fla.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
HOW IT HAPPENED:
BOT 3RD: Still scoreless in the bottom of the third, NSU starting pitcher
Emily Hess retired her eighth straight batter to put two away in the frame. However, a two-out walk prolonged the inning before the Tars put two more runners aboard following a single and another base on balls. With the bases loaded, a hit-by-pitch then allowed Rollins to push across the game's first run and grab a 1-0 edge.
BOT 4TH: After Rollins starter Ashley Worrell sat the Sharks down in order for the fourth consecutive inning, the Tars offense provided her with a bit more run support. Still with no outs and the bases juiced, Rollins doubled its lead thanks to a sacrifice fly near the right-field line before an RBI-groundout later stretched the margin to 3-0 in favor of the home team.
BOT 5TH: NSU first baseman
Juliana Speranza broke up Worrell's perfect game with a lead-off single in the top of the inning. Yet, a base-running miscue would thwart any sort of rally as the score remained 3-0. Adding insult to injury, Rollins would open the home half of the fifth with a triple and tack on its fourth run of the night following a sac fly to left.
TOP 6TH: The Sharks' lone scoring threat came in the sixth following back-to-back, one-out hits by
Alexis Smith and
Sydney Lageyre. Another single two batters later by
Mya Maddox would load the bases with two away, but a strikeout would halt the rally as Rollins eventually secured the shutout.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Hess dropped to 4-2 on the season after surrendering four earned runs on five hits in six innings of work.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Following a 1-for-3 effort, Speranza has now recorded at least one hit in five straight games.
- All four of NSU's hits went for singles.
- The Sharks were shut out for the first time in 11 games this season.
- Friday marked NSU's first true road game of the season.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks will look to return to the win column Saturday in a doubleheader matchup against the Tars set to begin at 1 p.m.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_Softball.
