MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Sharks baseball team lost to the Barry Buccaneers, 10-3, at Feinbloom Field in their first Sunshine State Conference game of the season.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final Score: Barry – 10, Nova Southeastern – 3
Records: Nova Southeastern (3-8, 0-1 SSC), Barry (9-0, 1-0 SSC)
Location: Feinbloom Field, Miami Shores, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a 1-2-3 top half, the Bucs scored in their first inning at the plate, starting with a pair of singles. Brandon Chinea misplayed a grounder but got the lead runner caught in a rundown between third and home for the first out. However, he stayed in the rundown long enough for the other two to move up a base, to second and third, which resulted in the run when J.P. Williams got the next batter to go down swinging, but the runner broke for home on the throw down to first.
The Sharks had an immediate opportunity to tie it, with the same situation to start the inning, including an Andrew Labosky infield single into a heavy shift, but with runners on the corners and two outs, Andrew Labosky stole second base and Adan Fernandez bit just enough on the fake throw to get caught in an inning-ending rundown of his own.
The Bucs started the third inning the same as their first, the latter hit on a bunt, and scored on an RBI groundout and bloop single to right field on consecutive plays. They used a pair of one-out singles, followed by a hit batter and walk with two outs to load the bases and chase Williams from the game in the fifth. Joe Smeton came in and walked in a run, giving the Bucs a 5-0 lead, then Johnny Leone ended the rally with a grounder.
The Sharks finally got on the board in the sixth, ending a 14-inning drought after failing to score in the last nine innings in Tuesday’s loss at Palm Beach Atlantic, when Fernandez drove in two with a single to right. They immediately gave those runs back, though, starting with a leadoff triple dropped by Bryan Diaz barely inside the right field line, followed by a pair of RBI singles.
The Sharks had another opportunity in the seventh, loading the bases with a wild pitch after a strikeout, an error and a walk, but were unable to score. After Anthony DiFede worked a scoreless bottom half, they inched closer in the eighth, with another pair of leadoff singles and an RBI groundout by Labosky, but two strikeouts kept them from scoring further.
The Bucs quickly put the game away, as all four batters against Marvin Guzman reached safely, leading to the game’s last three runs. Ricky Shimko came in for the first appearance of his career and got a pair of strikeouts to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.
STATS OF THE GAME
- Fernandez picked up the first three-hit game of his Sharks career, but Duncan Pastore maintained his team-lead with seven multi-hit games on the season, staying one ahead of Fernandez.
- Fernandez also had his third multi-RBI game of the year, which now leads the team.
- Williams (0-1) took the loss, allowing five runs, but only three earned, on seven hits, all of which were singles, in 4.2 innings of work. He struck out four batters and walked one.
- The Bucs got a vast majority of their production from their nine through four spots in the order, with those five players combining for 13 of the team’s 14 hits, with a .542 average, as well as both of their triples, seven of eight RBI and all 10 runs scored. The rest of their order was a combined 1-for-14.
- The Sharks were held without an extra-base hit for the second time this season.
UP NEXT
The Sharks will continue the series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Feinbloom Field.
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