Next Game:
Colorado Mesa
2/7/2020 | 6:00 p.m.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Riding an early-game lead late into Thursday night’s first-ever meeting against No. 2 Colorado Mesa, the No. 16 Nova Southeastern Sharks struggled to put the reigning NCAA runner-up away in a series-opening 8-7 comeback loss at the NSU Baseball Complex.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final Score: Colorado Mesa – 8, Nova Southeastern – 7
Records: Colorado Mesa (1-0), Nova Southeastern (1-3)
Location: NSU Baseball Complex, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter – @NSU_Baseball | Instagram – @NSU_Baseball | Facebook – /NSUSharksAthletics
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Facing off with a high-caliber non-Regional opponent that finished as runner-up at last year’s DII College World Series, the Sharks took the first lead of the game for the first time this season. Sophomore third baseman Duncan Pastore set that tone for the Sharks, leading off the first with a double to the right center alley. Left fielder Adan Fernandez cashed him in with a twisting RBI single into left center.
In the top of the third, the Mavericks converted for their first lead of the season on a two-run Jordan Stubbings single. However, the Sharks delivered their response with an exclamation point in the home half. After Pastore singled and Andrew Labosky walked, Fernandez absolutely crushed a ball to dead center, going yard for three runs – the ball bouncing high to a resting place on the third level of the HPD Parking Garage.
The Mavericks chipped off one run before Labosky curved a two-run single into right center that granted the Sharks a three-run advantage. However, as the Sharks got deeper into the bullpen, the CMU offense started to make its move, trimming the NSU lead to a single run in the top of the seventh. A well-placed bunt with two aboard in the eighth evened the game as Blaine Demello collected an RBI walk to make it 6-6.
In the ninth it was CMU taking advantage of the high winds, as the breeze carried a Spencer Bramwell two-run homer to left center for the final Mavericks lead.
The Sharks made their move in the home half, trimming the deficit to a single run on an Alex Hernandez sacrifice fly that drove in Bryan Diaz, but pinch hitter Joey Raffaele’s shot to center field fell just inside the wall to send the score final at 8-7 in Colorado Mesa’s favor.
Tossing the final five innings, Josh Danyliw (1-0) earned the win despite giving up three runs on five hits. For the Sharks, Lucas Reid (0-1) took the loss after throwing the final two frames.
STATS OF THE GAME:
- With the loss, the Sharks’ record moves to 1-3 – the last 1-3 start came in 2016 when the Sharks won the NCAA DII National Championship.
- Two of the three losses have come by a one-run margin with the opportunity to win late, as the Sharks did with a Bryan Diaz walk-off against Tusculum.
- The Sharks led the hitting line 13-12 with 8-of-9 starters collecting a base hit.
- The 13 hits is a team-high total in the early season.
- Pastore collected a hit for the fifth consecutive game, extending into 2019.
- It was Pastore’s third multi-hit game this season and his team-high 3-for-4 performance matches a career-high three runs scored last March against Southern New Hampshire.
- Fernandez was 2-for-5 with a home run, accounting for four RBI, marking his third multi-hit game in four tries – his home run was the first for an NSU player this season.
- Chinea also went 2-for-3 with a double for his second multi-hit game of the year.
- Despite giving a pair of earned runs early in his outing, Jeremy Cook hung in there for 4.0 innings, striking out six Mavericks.
- A consequential stat on the night, the Sharks hit four CMU batters, the most single the season-opening game against Catawba last season.
- The record between these programs is now 0-1 for the Sharks.
