FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish took both parts of a doubleheader over the Nova Southeastern softball team to complete the series sweep on Wednesday evening at the AD Griffin Sports Complex. The Sailfish topped the Sharks, 7-3 in game one before taking the second game by a score of 5-3.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME ONE):
FINAL: Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 7 (T. Pennica, 3-1), Nova Southeastern Sharks 3 (S. Foster, 4-3)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (8-7, 0-5 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (10-5, 3-2 SSC)
LOCATION: AD Griffin Sports | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
BOTTOM 1ST | With two outs and
Tia Williams on second, an RBI-single through the left side by
Anina Fernandez brought her home to give NSU an early 1-0 advantage.
BOTTOM 2ND | The Sharks went ahead, 2-0, as
Mya Maddox brought home
Alexis Smith on a sacrifice fly to center field.
TOP 4TH | With the bases loaded, an RBI-single by Magnolia West cut NSU's lead to one run at 2-1, keeping the bases juiced. The next batter, Alexis Guerra, was hit to push another runner across to tie the game at 2-2.
BOTTOM 4TH | A two-out RBI-single by
Sam Sisco put the Sharks back out in front 3-2 as
Sydney Lageyre scored after singling through the right side, stealing second and advancing on a ground out by Maddox.
TOP 5TH | The Sailfish took the lead away from the Sharks in the fifth, as Hannah Carlton doubled to left center, bringing home two base runners to make it 4-3 in PBA's favor. After an NSU pitching change, the visitor on the scoreboard added an insurance run thanks to an RBI-ground out, making it 5-3.
TOP 7TH | PBA's Carlton used another extra-base RBI, this time a triple, to score leadoff batter Edmilly Molina and push the Sailfish's lead to 6-3. The final run of the game came on a sacrifice fly by the next batter, Emma Gipson, to score Carlton for the 7-3 final score.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- The Sharks tallied five hits in game one, with five different Sharks recording each hit.
- Fernandez finished 1-for-4 and Sisco was 1-for-3, each recording an RBI apiece.
- Lageyre and Smith were both 1-for-3 and each scored once.
- Starting pitcher Savannah Foster (4-3) took the loss after pitching the first 4.0 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Emily Hess entered in relief for the final 3.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out three.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- After stealing one base, Williams now ranks second in the league in stolen bases with 10. Sisco is tied for third with eight.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME TWO):
FINAL: Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 5 (A. Busby, 7-2), Nova Southeastern Sharks 3 (E. Hess, 4-5)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (8-8, 0-6 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (11-5, 4-2 SSC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
BOTTOM 3RD | With Maddox on second and Lageyre on third, Williams used an infield single to score Lageyre before a throwing error by the Sailfish second baseman allowed enough time for Maddox to come home for a 2-0 Shark lead.
TOP 4TH | After two quick ground outs, Faith Allen singled to shortstop, stole second, and was brought home on an RBI-single by West to cut NSU's lead in half.
BOTTOM 5TH | Maddox scored for the second time as Williams doubled to left center, pushing the Sharks' lead to 3-1.
TOP 6TH | The Sailfish took advantage of two-RBI singles and two bases-loaded walks to score four runs in the sixth, stealing the lead from NSU at 5-3 and serving as the eventual final score.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Williams was the leading offensive threat for the Sharks, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBI.
- Lageyre went 1-for-3 and scored once and Sisco was 1-for-4.
- Hess was handed the loss after pitching the first 5.0 innings and allowing five runs on five hits with three strikeouts. Foster closed out the final 2.0 innings, allowing one hit.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- With three strikeouts in game two and three in game one, Hess is now second in the league in total strikeouts with 47.
UP NEXT
The Sharks will take a break from Sunshine State Conference play to host No. 12 North Georgia for a doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 21. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_Softball.
