FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Behind five scoreless innings thrown by starting pitcher Jeremy Cook and a big, six-run sixth, the fourth-ranked Nova Southeastern baseball team collected another series sweep on Saturday, capping the weekend with an 11-1 victory over Davenport in seven innings. Cook improved to 3-0 on the mound this season while the Sharks extended their season-opening win streak to 16 games.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
RECORDS: No. 4 Nova Southeastern 16-0, Davenport 6-10
SCORE: No. 4 Nova Southeastern 11, Davenport 1 (7 Innings)
LOCATION: NSU Baseball Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
GET SOCIAL: Instagram & Twitter – NSU_Baseball
HOW IT HAPPENED
Cook set down each of the first six batters he faced on Saturday, as NSU opened up a 4-0 lead through two innings of play. Aided by a combination of hit batters, walks and wild pitches, the Sharks pushed across a run in the first before two more wild pitches helped out the home team as part of a three-run second inning.
Cook escaped a jam in his only real bit of trouble in the third to keep the 4-0 cushion intact. An Adam Frank sacrifice fly in the home half of the fourth stretched the advantage to 5-0 before Cook's afternoon ended in the fifth after surrendering just two hits and three walks while striking out four.
Davenport erased the shutout in the sixth. However, the Sharks ended any of hopes of a comeback for the Panthers by responding with six runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning. Alejandro Macario lifted his second home run of the season to left center make it a 7-1 ball game. Back-to-back, RBI-doubles by Frank and Duncan Pastore ran the lead to 9-1, leaving the way for tow more run-scoring hits for Michael Avendano and Gabriel Rivera to further the advantage to 11-1.
Connor Miller worked a scoreless seventh inning to wrap up the series sweep.
STATS OF THE NIGHT
- Seven players combined to register 10 hits for NSU, including two apiece by Frank, Pastore and Rivera.
- Frank notched a pair of RBI in the win to finish the series 7-for-10 with three home runs, 11 RBI and seven runs scored.
- NSU chased Davenport starting pitcher Jared Schwartz after just 1.2 innings on the mound.
- The Sharks outscored the Panthers by a combined margin of 44-7 in the series.
UPCOMING
NSU will return to the diamond at home this Tuesday for a midweek matchup against American International. For complete coverage, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Instagram and Twitter at @NSU_Baseball.
