MELBOURNE, Fla. - The seventh-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks rallied to overcome an early 5-0 deficit but were unable to claim the lead, dropping the second game of the Sunshine State conference series to the Panthers 9-8 on Saturday afternoon. The Sharks bullpen held the FIT offense at bay, throwing 5.1 innings and only allowing one run.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Records: No. 7 Nova Southeastern 18-5, 3-5 SSC, Florida Tech 22-6, 7-4 SSC
Score: No. 7 Nova Southeastern 8, Florida Tech 9
Location: Seminick-Hall Field | Melbourne, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers plated five runs in the bottom of the second inning, totaling six hits, to take a 5-0 lead over the Sharks. Tyler Epstein and Adam Frank tallied singles in the top of the third as NSU looked to respond, Adan Fernandez hit his second home run of the weekend to cut the deficit to 5-3. The rally did not stop there for the Sharks, as Nik Sanders followed with a double and later scored on a wild pitch. Nova Southeastern tied the game with an RBI single from Daniel Irisarri, which capped off the five-run frame.
Florida Tech responded with another three runs in the bottom of the third inning, reclaiming the lead at 8-5. The Panthers tacked on another run with a solo home in the bottom of the fourth inning. Back-to-back walks for the Sharks started the top of the fifth inning, as NSU needed a rally to get back into the game. Irisarri added his second RBI of the game with a single to shortstop, scoring Fernandez. NSU added two more runs courtesy of a Panthers error, bringing the score to 9-8 through five.
Stephen Schissler came into pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning and worked around a runners on second and third jam to keep the score at 9-8. NSU was unable to get the tying run across and dropped the series to the Panthers with the 9-8 loss on Saturday afternoon.
UPCOMING
No. 7 Nova Southeastern looks to salvage the series on Sunday, March 20, with the finale set to begin at 1 p.m. from Seminick-Hall Field.
