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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern softball team (17-15, 2-4 SSC) will take a short break from Sunshine State Conference play and host Palm Beach Atlantic (17-12) Thursday, before heading out on the road Friday to begin a three-game series at Eckerd (8-20, 1-2 SSC). The Sharks and Sailfish will hit the field at 5 p.m. at the AD Griffin Sports Complex. Friday’s conference game begins at 7 p.m. in St. Petersburg, Fla.
NSU is looking to snap a four-game losing skid this weekend. After taking the first two games against Florida Tech to open conference play March 2-3, the Panthers were able to take the final game of the series. The Sharks then travelled to Winter Park, Fla. last weekend, losing three tightly contested games to No. 18 Rollins.
Despite the results not going their way, the Sharks have numerous individuals leading the SSC in select categories.
Lorena Spaulding (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) is pacing the conference in hits, having tallied 39, while batting a second-best .415 this season. Senior
Katie Kelton (Pembroke, Pines, Fla.) has crossed the plate a league-high 26 times and
Laura Saladrigas (Jr., Hollywood, Fla.) has blasted seven homeruns, which is tied for 2nd-best in the nation.
In the circle,
Sara DeMuth (Sr., Plant City, Fla.) has rang up 172 batters, 15 more than Tampa’s Deanna Henriott. DeMuth, carrying a 2.46 ERA, has made appearances in 28 of NSU’s 32 contests, playing to an 11-11 record and one save.
Palm Beach Atlantic
The Sailfish, an independent NCAA Division-II competitor, enters Thursday’s contest having matched NSU’s 17 victories. Palm Beach Atlantic on the road is only 5-7 in 2012.
Most recently, the Sailfish were downed twice at Flagler, losing 6-2 in game one before being shutout, 1-0, in game two. Prior to that, PBA had been winners in four consecutive games, with doubleheader wins over Eckerd and Mercyhurst.
A trio of Sailfish are hitting over .350 this season. Camille Benito’s batting average sits at a team-high .375, just two thousandths ahead of Lisa Santos. Hits leader (38) Kara Anderson sits in third, batting .365. Mary Pippin has seen the most time on the mound for PBA, pitching to a 9-7 record and a 2.26 ERA.
Eckerd
The Tritons opened up SSC play on the road at Florida Southern last weekend. After getting rained out Friday, March 9, FSC proceeded to sweep Eckerd, winning a pair on Saturday and then taking the third game Sunday. Those three losses have extended the Tritons’ losing streak to eight, with their last win coming on March 3, a 14-2 five-inning victory over Ave Maria.
Eckerd, who is scheduled to play a doubleheader against Concordia (Neb.) Wednesday evening, has only three student-athletes batting at least .300. Brittany Mitchell tops the batting average list for Eckerd, hitting .326, while Kaitlyn Dougherty holds a .309 average. Dougherty has also started a team-most 10 games in the circle for the Tritons, winning three contests and accumulating a 4.79 ERA.
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