FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – It took 11 hours from when the day’s events were supposed to begin, but the No.16 Nova Southeastern Sharks baseball team did finally get in both games of their split 9-and-7 doubleheader against the No. 15 Newberry Wolves, their last weekend series before starting Sunshine State Conference play next weekend.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Game 1 Score: Nova Southeastern – 3, Newberry – 1
Game 2 Score: Newberry – 6, Nova Southeastern – 5
Records: Nova Southeastern (3-6), Newberry (10-1)
Location: NSU Baseball Complex, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
After waiting out an initial 90-minute rain delay prior to the first pitch, both teams got on the board in the first inning. For the Wolves, it started with a leadoff, first-pitch double by Colin Allman, who stole third and scored a sacrifice fly. However. Freshman Tyler Epstein, starting in the two-hole for the first time, reached on an error when the Wolves’ first baseman was unable to pick a low throw from the third baseman out of the dirt setting an opportunity for the Sharks to match the scoring effort. Duncan Pastore followed with a double to left, just inches short of his first career home run. Adan Fernandez drove Epstein in when the throw from a grounder to short pulled the first baseman off the bag. Bryan Diaz was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Jarrett Hall, making his first start of the year, struck out looking to end the threat.
The game stayed tied through the fifth inning, though not without excitement. Sharks starting pitcher Nathan Campbell worked out of a jam in the third that started with two on and no out, but after a double steal, he got a big strikeout, and then, despite loading the bases with a walk, induced a fly out to center to end Newberry’s scoring chance. Campbell then finished off two more innings, becoming the first starter to complete five inning this season.
Another delay halted the action in the bottom of the fifth after Pastore drew a two-out walk, this one lasting over two-and-a-half hours. When play returned, Pastore was quickly caught trying to steal second base to end the inning. They finally broke the tie the next inning, when Diaz also drew a two-out walk against relief pitcher Alejandro Sanchez (1-1), then advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a Hall double, which was also very close to becoming his first career home run.
Reliever Brady Acker (1-0), who earned the victory with a pair of strikeouts in three scoreless innings, escaped another bases loaded situation in the eighth inning, working around a hit batter, error and wild pitch with an inning-ending flyout to right. The Sharks tacked on an insurance run in the bottom half, loading the bases with singles by Fernandez and Andrew Labosky, and Diaz’s second four-pitch walk of the game. Olivier Mayrand gave a pitch a ride into right-center for what could’ve been his second grand slam in three games, but settled for a sac fly. Lucas Reid picked up his first save as a Shark with a 1-2-3 ninth.
In the nightcap, the Wolves got to starter Pastore early, with back-to-back one-out singles followed by a wild pitch for the first run. With two outs, Luke Orr deposited a three-run homer into left field, for a first-inning four spot.
The Sharks immediately pulled one run back, when Brandon Chinea doubled just inside the right field line, advancing on an Epstein sac bunt and scoring on a Pastore groundout. A hit batter and walk put two more on base, but Diaz grounded to the first baseman and lost the race to the bag by a half-step to stand them there.
Nathan Chevalier made an exceptional throw to keep a run off the board with an inning-ending double play on a sac fly attempt, and the Sharks made that play count, as Fernandez cut into the deficit once again with a 105-mph rocket off the bat into left field for his second home run of the year.
In the fourth, however, the rain picked up again, and the umpires waited until after a two-out RBI double to halt play for the second time. Johnny Leone came on to pitch following the much briefer delay, and though the first batter he faced reached on an error, he benefitted from a heads-up play by the defense to make up for it. The Wolves attempted a double steal, but catcher Alex Hernandez’s throw down to second had the runner dead to rights, who then tried to retreat. The runner from third started to break for home, but Epstein faked a throw to first and instead went back to Hernandez who made the tag for the third out.
Chinea and Epstein drew back-to-back walks, paving the way for Michael Uz, who picked up both his first career hit and RBI with a pinch-hit single to right, as Chinea slid head-first just under the tag. Newberry then turned to 2019 All-American reliever Quinton Driggers for the second day in a row, and though Fernandez, Labosky and Diaz all forced full counts, Driggers got the latter two on strike threes, leaving the bases loaded.
The Wolves got the run back again in the seventh, leading off with a single and a double, followed by a sac fly. Freshman Matt Kavanaugh came in with two outs for his first career appearance and allowed the runner to advance to third on a wild pitch before a big swing-and-miss for his first-ever strikeout, keeping the deficit manageable.
Chinea greeted the second arm out of the bullpen with a leadoff walk, then Epstein doubled down the line in left, bringing the tying run to the plate, but Uz flew out and another new pitcher froze Fernandez for out number two. Down to the final strike, Labosky worked a two-run single in front of a diving left fielder to make it a one-run game, and Diaz, also down to his final strike, reached on an infield single to second. The two-out, two-strike luck ran out for Stephen Schissler on his grounder to second. Despite the first baseman appearing to drop the throw, the umpire made the final out call, and the Sharks dropped their third one-run game of the season and the second because of a close play at first that otherwise would have tied the game.
Pastore (0-1) took the loss, allowing the four runs in the first, while Driggers (4-0) earned his second relief win in as many days, retiring five of the six batters he faced, including three via the strikeout. Josh Stempihar allowed a pair of two-out singles but held on for the two-out save.
UP NEXT
The Sharks will face their first mid-week opponent of the season on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. when they take on Palm Beach Atlantic in West Palm Beach. The Sharks won three of the five Battles of the Fish last season, including the two mid-week matchups, both at home, by scoring 12 runs in each.
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