FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - No. 7 Nova Southeastern completed its first Sunshine State Conference series sweep of the 2022 season, improving to a perfect 12-0 record and not losing a game in the month of February, following a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon from the NSU Baseball Complex against Embry-Riddle. NSU took game one, led by a strong pitching performance from Daniel Rivero, 8-5 and followed with a 6-4 win in the series finale.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
RECORDS: No. 7 Nova Southeastern 12-0, 3-0 SSC; Embry-Riddle 1-11, 0-6 SSC
SCORES: (Game 1) No. 7 Nova Southeastern 8, Embry-Riddle 5; (Game 2) No. 7 Nova Southeastern 6, Embry-Riddle 4
LOCATION: NSU Baseball Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
GET SOCIAL: Instagram & Twitter – NSU_Baseball
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)
Daniel Rivero got the start for the Sharks, setting the tone for the game from the first pitch. Rivero struck out two in the first inning for NSU. Nova Southeastern broke through on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second. Marcus Franco singled through the left-side, driving in Adan Fernandez. Alex Hernandez capped the frame with a two-run home run, pushing the lead to 3-0.
Rivero allowed a lead-off single to start the third inning, working around it by inducing a double play. Fernandez hit his fourth home run of the season, extending the Sharks advantage to 5-0 over the Eagles. Nova Southeastern added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, taking a 7-0 lead over the Eagles. Rivero continued to mow-down the Embry-Riddle hitters, blanking them through six innings, striking out four.
Leading 8-0, NSU turned the ball over to the bullpen for the final three innings, first calling upon Cooper Omans to pitch the seventh. The southpaw struck out one in his only inning. Conor Miller relieved Omans in the eighth, and allowed a run to score on a sacrifice fly.
Embry-Riddle plated four in the top of the ninth, before the Sharks turned to Michael Dillon with runners on first and third. The right-hander needed only one pitch to record the save, getting a pop-out to strand the runners, as the Sharks took the series victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game Two)
The series finale turned into a pitchers dual from the outset, with both Jeremy Cook and Garner Spoljaric setting the sides down in order to start the game. Embry-Riddle scored two in the second inning, taking advantage of a lead-off walk.
With two outs and a runner on second, Daniel Irisarri tripled down the right-field line to score Pastore and get the Sharks on the scoreboard. NSU was able to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning, with no outs, but was unable to score and capitalize to gain the lead, and still trailed 2-1.
Fernandez led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo home run, his fifth of the season, tying the Sunshine State Conference contest 2-2. Later in the inning, Irisarri scored on a sacrifice fly from Kolbe Aven as NSU took its first lead of the game.
Cook held the Eagles off the scoreboard for the remainder of his outing, when he was relieved in the top of the seventh. Carlos Rey entered from the bullpen and promptly struck out two in his first inning of work. Nik Sanders hit his second home run of the season, pushing the lead to 4-2 over the Eagles. Fernandez added another RBI to his ledger, scoring Pastore with a single, as NSU led 5-2.
The Sharks turned to Dillon for the second time on Saturday, leading 6-3 in the ninth inning, as NSU looked to complete the series sweep. After working himself into a jam, with runners on second and third, Head Coach Laz Gutierrez approached the mound to calm his closer. Dillion responded by striking out two of the next three batters, recording his second save of the day.
OUTSIDE THE BOX
UPCOMING
The seventh-ranked Sharks travel to Winter Haven, Fla., to take on Findlay on Tues., March 1. FIrst pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
