BOX SCORE
ST. LEO, Fla. – Laura Saladrigas (Jr., Hollywood, Fla.) hit a pair of homeruns and tallied four RBI, as the Nova Southeastern softball team (23-18, 6-7 SSC) defeated Saint Leo (17-23, 2-8 SSC), 9-1, Friday night at the University Softball Field.
After two scoreless innings to start the game, the Sharks broke open the game with six runs in the top of the third.
Katie Kelton (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and
Gina Bondarenko (So., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) began the inning with singles with Saladrigas coming up to bat. All it took was one pitch and Saladrigas sent the ball over the left field wall to give NSU a 3-0 lead.
Melanie Spicola (Fr., Umatilla, Fla.) and
Chelsea Emery (Jr., Eustis, Fla.) were each also credited with an RBI in the inning, with the Sharks’ sixth run coming on a heads up piece of base running by
Lorena Spaulding (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) after an errant throw by the Lions’ right fielder.
Saladrigas slammed her second homerun in the next inning, this time sending the ball over the right center wall to extend the Sharks’ advantage to 7-0.
Sara DeMuth (Sr., Plant CIty, Fla.), the Sharks’ starting pitcher, would strikeout a pair of batters in the bottom of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, NSU posted two more runs to go up 9-0. With Spaulding on third and
Jaimee Vega (Jr., Loxahatchee, Fla.) on second, Kelton hit a bouncer over the pitcher’s head that made its way to the outfield to score both base runners, putting NSU ahead 9-0.
Saint Leo would spoil the shutout in the bottom of the fifth, as McKenzie Burns’ sacrifice scored Emily Holman for the Lions’ lone run. DeMuth would sit down the final Saint Leo batter giving her six strikeouts in the game and her 17th win of the season. DeMuth, now with 244 strikeouts this season, remains in second in the nation in total strikeouts.
With her two homeruns Friday, Saladrigas reached the 10-homerun plateau for the first time in her career and is only the fourth player to hit at least 10 in one season in a Sharks’ uniform. She now has 17 in her career at NSU, third most in program history, just four behind Lauren Lopez who hit 21. Saladrigas is two shy of the single-season record of 12 set by Katie Veltri in 2007 and tied by Lopez in 2010.
The Sharks and Lions square off in a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m.
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