WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University baseball team goes 4-0 on the week defeating Barry University in a midweek contest (4-2), later in the week the Sharks traveled to West Palm Beach and secured their first Sunshine State Conference series sweep of the season over the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish at J.M. ‘Jake’ Rubin Park, improving to 16-12 overall and 8-7 in conference play.
Records: Nova Southeastern 14-12 | Barry 16-12
Scores: Nova Southeastern 4, Barry 2
Location: Feinbloom Field | Miami Shores, Fla.
Pitching Decisions: W: Colunga, Carlos (2-2) L: Wright, Dane (0-1) S: Gonzalez, Ricky (1)
- The Sharks wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first inning. Jorge DeGoti lined a single up the middle and later came around to score after Roylan Quevedo reached on an error. Sebastian Garavito then dropped down a sacrifice bunt that brought DeGoti home, giving Nova Southeastern an early 1-0 lead.
- In the second inning, the Sharks added on through pressure and execution. Michael Arnold singled to start the frame, while Anthony Stinson and Jack Cue followed with back-to-back base hits to load the bases. A wild pitch later in the inning allowed Stinson to score, pushing the advantage to 2-0.
- Nova Southeastern continued to manufacture runs in the fourth. Dakota Jones reached base, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and eventually crossed the plate on another wild pitch to extend the lead to 3-0.
- Barry got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run, but the Sharks answered again in the sixth. After Emilio Gonzalez reached and the Sharks loaded the bases, Anthony Stinson delivered an RBI groundout to bring in another run and stretch the lead to 4-1.
- Barry threatened late, plating a run in the seventh to cut the deficit to 4-2, but the Sharks stayed composed. The defense came through with key outs in the final innings, while the pitching staff shut the door to secure the win.
- Nova Southeastern’s balanced effort at the plate, paired with a composed performance on the mound, helped the Sharks close out a solid 4-2 victory over the Buccaneers.
Records: Nova Southeastern 14-12 (6-7 SSC) | Palm Beach Atlantic 7-17 (1-9 SSC)
Scores: Nova Southeastern 25, Palm Beach Atlantic 5
Location: West Palm Beach, FL | J.M. ‘Jake’ Rubin Park
Pitching Decisions: W: Manning, Nick (4-1) L: Smoot, Nolan (2-4)
- In the opening game of the series, the Sharks turned in an offensive explosion and cruised past Palm Beach Atlantic, 26-5, behind a relentless attack at the plate and solid work from the pitching staff.
- Nova Southeastern wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first inning. Nick Rodriguez opened the game with a single, and Jorge DeGoti followed with a double to left center to put runners on second and third. Roylan Quevedo brought in the first run with an RBI groundout before Sebastian Garavito lined a run-scoring single down the right field line. Later in the inning, a passed ball and throwing error allowed Garavito to score, giving the Sharks an early 3-0 lead.
- Palm Beach Atlantic answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning, but the Sharks quickly kept their foot on the gas in the second. Anthony Stinson singled to lead off the frame and Jack Cue doubled to put two runners in scoring position. DeGoti brought in a run on a double play ball, and another PBA error allowed Cue to score as Nova pushed the lead to 5-1.
- The Sharks added again in the third inning when Dakota Jones singled and later came around to score on an RBI single from Stinson, stretching the lead to 6-1. PBA answered with three runs in the bottom half to cut the deficit to 6-4, but that would be as close as the Sailfish would get.
- Nova regained control in the fourth inning with another two-run outburst. Quevedo singled and came around to score on a double to left center by Garavito. Emilio Gonzalez followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 8-4.
- The Sharks then broke the game wide open in the fifth inning. Cue reached base and later scored on a passed ball and throwing error before Rodriguez and DeGoti reached to set the table. Garavito delivered once again with a two-run single, and Michael Arnold capped the inning with a two-RBI base hit as Nova Southeastern erupted for five runs and extended the advantage to 13-4.
- Nova added two more in the sixth. Cue scored on a balk, and Gonzalez drove in another run with a single to right center to make it 15-4.
- The seventh inning delivered another offensive surge for the Sharks. DeGoti singled home a run, Garavito worked a bases-loaded RBI walk, and Gonzalez cleared the bases with a three-run double down the right field line to push the lead to 20-4.
- Even with the game well in hand, the Sharks kept producing. In the eighth inning, Joel Cabrera came through with a two-run double to right center after Manny Ramirez and Manuel Sanchez each reached base, making it 22-4.
- Nova Southeastern closed the game with one final offensive burst in the ninth. Brandon Mon, Ty Torti, Ramirez, Rodriguez, and Sanchez all recorded hits in the inning, while Cabrera added a sacrifice fly as the Sharks plated four more runs to stretch the lead to 26-4.
- On the mound, Nick Manning earned the start and worked five innings for the Sharks, allowing four runs while striking out two. Caden Garro followed with a clean inning of relief in the sixth, and Nyle Banks tossed a scoreless eighth. Alfrin Rosario closed the game in the ninth, striking out three batters despite an unearned run crossing the plate.
GAME 1
Records: Nova Southeastern 15-12 (7-7 SSC) | Palm Beach Atlantic 7-18 (1-10 SSC)
Scores: Nova Southeastern 3, Palm Beach Atlantic 0
Location: West Palm Beach, FL | J.M. ‘Jake’ Rubin Park
Pitching Decisions: W: Zapata, Federico (2-3) L: Budiac, Elijah (2-5)
- In the first game of the doubleheader, Nova Southeastern threatened early in the opening inning when Michael Arnold singled and advanced to third, but the Sailfish escaped the frame without damage. The Sharks continued to put pressure on in the second as Dakota Jones and Joel Cabrera each singled, though Palm Beach Atlantic once again worked out of trouble.
- The breakthrough finally came in the top of the third inning. Arnold reached on an error to begin the frame and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Jorge DeGoti. After a groundout pushed him further along, Sebastian Garavito brought him home to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead. Anthony Stinson followed with a single to keep the inning alive, but Nova had already done enough to grab the early advantage.
- That slim lead held as Miguel Diaz set the tone on the mound. Diaz was sharp through the first three-plus innings, keeping Palm Beach Atlantic off balance and allowing little room for any offensive rhythm to develop.
- The Sharks added crucial insurance in the fifth inning. Garavito reached on an error to start the inning before Stinson reached on a fielder’s choice. Dakota Jones then delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon, ripping a triple to deep right field that scored Stinson and doubled the lead to 2-0. Moments later, Jones crossed the plate on a wild pitch to extend the advantage to 3-0.
- From there, Nova Southeastern’s pitching staff took complete control. Federico Zapata entered in relief during the fourth inning and was outstanding the rest of the way, shutting down every Palm Beach Atlantic threat and preserving the shutout. The Sharks defense also came through in key moments, including a double play in the fifth and another inning-ending twin killing in the seventh to keep the Sailfish off the board.
- Palm Beach Atlantic put together a few scattered hits late, including a double in the eighth and a single in the ninth, but the Sharks never let the game slip away. Zapata finished the job in the bottom of the ninth, striking out two of the final three batters to seal the 3-0 victory.
GAME 2
Records: Nova Southeastern 16-12 (8-7 SSC) | Palm Beach Atlantic 7-19 (1-11 SSC)
Scores: Nova Southeastern 7, Palm Beach Atlantic 5
Location: West Palm Beach, FL | J.M. ‘Jake’ Rubin Park
Pitching Decisions: W: Echeverria, Eduardo (1-0) L: Langfelder, Derek (0-3) S: Gonzalez, Ricky (2)
- In the series finale, the Sharks used timely hitting and another strong pitching effort to secure a 7-5 win over Palm Beach Atlantic and complete the sweep.
- Nova Southeastern threatened in the opening inning after Emilio Gonzalez reached on an error and Michael Arnold ripped a double down the left field line, but Palm Beach Atlantic escaped the frame without damage. On the mound, the Sharks were sharp from the start, as the opening two innings featured dominant work and early strikeouts to keep the Sailfish off the board.
- The Sharks broke through in the top of the third inning. Jorge DeGoti opened the frame with a double before Michael Arnold followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Anthony Stinson then reached on an outfield error that allowed DeGoti to score, and Dakota Jones followed with an RBI double to plate another run and give Nova Southeastern a 2-0 lead.
- Palm Beach Atlantic answered in the bottom half of the inning, using a pair of hits to tie the game at 2-2, but the Sharks responded immediately in the fourth. Jack Cue reached after being hit by a pitch, stole second, and moved to third before DeGoti delivered again with an RBI single to center field to put Nova back in front, 3-2.
- After a scoreless fifth, the Sharks created some breathing room in the sixth inning. Ty Torti led off with a single and later stole second before DeGoti came through with an RBI double to right field. Gonzalez followed with another run-scoring double down the left field line, stretching the Sharks’ lead to 5-2.
- Nova added two more insurance runs in the seventh inning. Jones doubled to right field and later moved to third before Torti worked a walk. Cue then delivered the biggest swing of the late innings, driving a two-run double down the left field line to score both Jones and Torti and extend the advantage to 7-2.
- Palm Beach Atlantic made things interesting in the eighth, cutting into the lead with a two-run double, and added another run in the ninth after putting traffic on the bases. But Ricky Gonzalez entered to close things out and the Sharks were able to record the final out before the Sailfish could complete the rally.
- With the 7-5 victory, Nova Southeastern capped off a successful weekend by finishing the sweep over Palm Beach Atlantic.
- Jorge DeGoti: 9-18, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 7 R, 2 SB
- Dakota Jones: 6-15, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 4 R, 2 SB
- Sebastian Garavito: 3-13, 1 2B, 6 RBI, 4 R
- Emilio Gonzalez: 5-15, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB
- Ricky Gonzalez: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 2 saves
The Sharks return to action against the Emmanuel University Lions at the NSU Baseball Complex starting on Friday, April 3rd at 4p.m. To stay up-to-date on the Sharks follow on Instagram and X @NSU_Baseball.
