Box Score LAKELAND, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University softball team took the series opener on Friday night over Florida Southern, shutting out the Mocs 3-0 at Barnett Field.
The Sharks (15-20, 3-13 SSC) got on the board first against the Mocs (17-26, 3-13 SSC), when in the third inning,
Dakota Villella (So., Hollywood, Fla.) singled for the second time in as many at-bats to that point, and reached second on a pickoff attempt that resulted in a throwing error by the FSC catcher. That was followed up by
Katrina Ammons' (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.) second consecutive double, a hard shot to left-center, to push Villella across for a 1-0 lead.
At the same time, Shark starting pitcher
Rebecca Thornton (So., Lodi, Calif.) was in the midst of retiring nine straight FSC hitters, though she ran into a bit of trouble in the home fourth. After having allowed just one hit to that point, she gave up two singles on the first two pitches of the frame, but then retired the next three in order to keep the slim one-run NSU lead.
In the ensuing Shark turn, they added another tally to give Thornton a 2-0 cushion.
Maegan Lee (Sr., Miami) laced a leadoff double on the first pitch, was sacrificed to third by Villella, and three batters later – with two outs – she scored on a popup off the bat of
Shelby Cogan (Sr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) that was mishandled by the Mocs' catcher.
The lead got extended with yet another unearned run coming after a Moc error extended the Shark sixth.
Te Reo Powhiri Matautia (Jr., Auckland, New Zealand) singled to start and moved up on another sacrifice, this time by
Katey Blummer (So., Naples, Fla.). With two down,
Jessie Brown (Fr., Davie, Fla.) popped one up into no man's land behind the circle and off the glove of FSC's second baseman for their third miscue of the night. Now with Matautia at third, Lee stepped in and ripped an RBI single to left to end the night's scoring.
Thornton picked up the complete game and shutout victory (her second of the year), scattering six FSC hits across her seven innings of work, on just 63 pitches (48 for strikes). She is now 12-9 on the season. Lee, Villella and Ammons combined to go 7-for-9 in the top three spots in the Shark lineup, with Villella notching a perfect 3-for-3 line, and Lee and Ammons contributing two hits apiece.
The Sharks and Mocs are scheduled to complete the three-game set on Saturday afternoon, with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
