MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Sharks opened Sunshine State Conference play with a 9-4 loss on Friday evening to the Florida Tech Panthers.

Records: Nova Southeastern 5-6, 0-1 SSC | Florida Tech 7-5, 1-0 SSC
Score: Nova Southeastern 4 | Florida Tech 9
Location: Andy Seminich-Les Hall Field | Melbourne, Fla.
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- Collin Rothermel, the starting pitcher for the Sharks, found himself in a jam after the first two FIT hitters reached base, but the right-hander settled in and escaped the jam with three consecutive strikeouts.
- Boris Pena led off the top of the second inning with a double and promptly scored on an RBI single from Justin Wachs, giving NSU a 1-0 lead.
- Rothermel added another two strikeouts to his line in the bottom half of the second inning.
- Florida Tech broke the game open with seven runs in the bottom of the third inning, recording five hits, and put the score at 7-1.
- Nova Southeastern cut into the deficit with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Tyler Venegas scored Wachs on a sacrifice bunt and Kristian Noriega brought in Tyson Cooper with a sacrifice fly.
- The Panthers added runs in the fifth and sixth innings, extending their lead to 9-3.
- NSU tacked on another run in the top of the ninth inning, as Noriega drove in Wachs with another sacrifice fly, making the score 9-4.

The Sharks continue their Sunshine State Conference series with the Florida Tech Panthers on Saturday, February 24th. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.