FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Sparked by five shutout innings by
Frank Elissalt and a clutch, go-ahead home run for
Kristian Noriega, the No. 22 Nova Southeastern Sharks earned their second win of the 2023 season, defeating Kentucky Wesleyan 5-4, on Thursday evening from the NSU Baseball Complex.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Records: No. 22 Nova Southeastern 2-1 | Kentucky Wesleyan 0-1
Score: No. 22 Nova Southeastern 5, Kentucky Wesleyan 4
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | NSU Baseball Complex
Get Social: Instagram & Twitter – NSU_Baseball | Facebook – Nova Southeastern University Baseball
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bottom of the Third – Taking advantage of three shutout innings to open the game from Elissalt, the Sharks got on board for three runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Michael Uz led off the frame with a single and NSU loaded the bases with back-to-back walks from
Bryce Hazzard and
Tyler Epstein. Ihosvany Castañeda opened the scoring, beating out a fielder's choice and driving in Uz.
Duncan Pastore followed with a sacrifice fly and
Daniel Irisarri closed the inning with an RBI single.
Top of the Fourth – Elissalt capitalized on the momentum and struck out a pair of Panthers to toss a shutdown inning.
Bottom of the Fifth – Pastore's second RBI of the game drove in Hazzard, pushing the Sharks lead to 4-0.
Top of the Sixth –
Ronaldo Fernandez entered the game in relief of Elissalt. The Panthers recorded two consecutive hits, getting on the scoreboard and putting the score at 4-1.
Top of the Eighth – The Panthers rallied for three runs in the late innings, but
Stephen Schissler entered the game out of the bullpen and halted the KWC rally.
Bottom of the Eighth – With two outs in the inning, Noriega came to the plate with the score tied at 4-4. The freshman connected on a fastball, launching the pitch over the right field fence, and gave Nova Southeastern a 5-4 lead.
Top of the Ninth – Schissler closed out the game, striking out two in the last inning, earning his first win of the season.
STATS OF THE GAME
Frank Elissalt made his Nova Southeastern Sharks debut one to remember, striking out seven across five shutout innings.
Kristian Noriega's first career home run came at a great time for the Sharks, launching a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel NSU to the victory.
UPCOMING
No. 22 Nova Southeastern returns to the NSU Baseball Complex, taking on Washburn on Friday, February 10. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
