Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 BOX SCORE ONE | BOX SCORE TWO
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern softball team (13-21, 2-13 SSC) dropped both games during Saturday’s doubleheader against the Saint Leo Lions (26-13, 6-3 SSC) at the AD Griffin Sports Complex. The Sharks lost game one 8-0 in five innings, then fell 9-6 in the latter game.
Shelby Talon (Fr., Boynton Beach, Fla.) and
Samira Tanaka (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil) each went an impressive 4-for-6 from the plate in the two games, while
Melanie Spicola (So., Umatilla, Fla.) tallied three RBI on two hits on the day.
GAME ONE
The Sharks’ struggles began early in the first game, allowing five runs across in the top of the first. None of the runs were earned, and Saint Leo only had one hit in the frame. NSU was plagued by two dropped third strikes, which allowed both Lions batters to reach base.
The first game ended in the fifth, when the Lions were able to score another three runs, to give Saint Leo an 8-0 win.
Erika Garcia (Jr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) (0-3) took the loss, only lasting one-third of an inning before being relieved by
Laura Saladrigas (Sr., Hollywood, Fla.). Saladrigas pitched 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits.
Despite the loss, the Sharks were only outhit 5-4.
GAME TWO
The Sharks got off to a much better start in the final game of the series, as they took the early lead in the first inning. Tanaka had a base knock, allowing
Lorena Spaulding (So., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) to score from second, giving the Sharks its first lead of the series.
Saint Leo scored two runs of their own in the second, giving the Lions a brief lead. The game was knotted back up in the bottom of the second on a Spicola single up the right field line, giving Talon plenty of time to score from third.
The Lions' big inning came in the third, where they were able to open up a big 6-2 lead. However, as the Sharks have done all year, they did not go away quietly.
NSU opened up its biggest inning of the series in the fourth, scoring two runs to cut into the Saint Leo lead in half. The inning started with a Garcia walk, and she was replaced on the basepaths by pinch-runner
Elizabeth Spring (Fr., West Palm Beach, Fla.). Talon then hit a single through the gap between short and third, moving Spring to second.
Dani Millan (Jr., Ventura, Calif.) was then able to move Talon over to second on a well-placed sacrifice bunt.
Pinch-hitter
Chelsea Emery (Sr., Eustis, Fla.) took advantage of the runners in scoring position, singling up the left side, allowing Spring to come home safely. Emery then did a great job during the next at-bat to distract the Lions' fielders, as she was caught in a rundown, drawing the attention away from Talon, who scored from third.
The Lions responded with another two-run inning in the fifth to open the lead back up to four.
NSU came back with another two runs in the home sixth. Both runs came from one swing of the bat from Spicola, who crushed an two-run single to left-center field, bringing home Millan and Talon from second and third, respectively. The Sharks had the Lions on the ropes when they loaded the bases with two outs. However, Alana Tabel was able to strike out the final batter of the inning to leave three Shark runners stranded.
This would be the closest the Sharks would get, as the Lions scored the final run of the game in the top of the seventh.
Both teams recorded 13 hits in a very entertaining final game of the series.
The Sharks will have a couple of days off before they take on Webber International for its first non-conference series in a month, Wednesday, March 27 at the AD Griffin Sports Complex. The first pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m.
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