NSU Sharks News
Softball Posts Two More Wins at Eckerd Spring Invitational
Sharks enter Sunday as top seed in Championship Bracket
Clearwater, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2009) - Nova Southeastern University's softball team won both of its games at the Eckerd Spring Invitational at the Eddie C. Moore Complex on Saturday en route to earning the top-seed in the Championship Bracket. The Sharks posted a key 2-1 victory over Valdosta State in the first game and then came away with a 7-4 win over host Eckerd in game two.With one out and runners in scoring position, April Donachie (Sr., Orlando, Fla.) had the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh to give the Sharks the critical victory over Valdosta State. Donachie smacked the ball to left field, driving in Katie Pepper (Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) for the game-winning run.
NSU took a 1-0 lead over Valdosta State in the second inning. Jessica Hernandez's (Jr., Miami, Fla.) fly ball dropped just inside the foul line, allowing her to reach second base. As Dana Bergner (Jr., Palm Harbor, Fla.) went for the sacrifice bunt, pitcher Margaret Carter's throw sailed over the first baseman's glove, resulting in Bergner being safe and Hernandez scoring from second.
The Blazers went on to tie the game in the fifth with a lead-off home run by Brianna Collis to center field.
Lexi Sarradet (So., Miami, Fla.) earned the win and moved to 9-2 on the season. Sarradet pitched all seven innings, fanned six batters and gave up one run off two hits.
Carter had the loss after 6.1 innings of work, allowing two runs - one earned - off eight hits.
Noemi Luciani (Jr., Miami, Fla.) was 3-for-4 from the plate. Both Donachie and Hernandez were 2-for-3.
In the day's second game, Hernandez blasted a two-run shot in the second inning to put the Sharks up 2-0 over Eckerd.
The Tritons answered with a run in the bottom of the second. After Danielle Sedoris walked, she moved to second on an Emily Weimken sacrifice bunt. Mackenzie Dawson's hit to left field allowed Sedoris to get to third. Julia Kraus came in to pinch run for Dawson. Kraus attempted to steal second and was picked off, but the play allowed Sedoris to advance to home and make it a 2-1 game.
The Sharks widen their lead to six through the third and fourth innings. With two outs and bases loaded in the third, Jessica Rockwell (Sr., Middleburg, Fla.) had an RBI-single that drove in Rachel Talenfeld (So., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) from third as NSU went up 3-1.
NSU exploded for four more runs in the fourth inning, all of which were scored with two outs. With runners on second and third, Lauren Lopez (Jr., Miami, Fla.) sent an RBI-single to center field, allowing Luciani to score from third. A Donachie hit and an Eckerd error resulted in two more runs for the Sharks as both Talenfeld and Lopez crossed home plate. A Hernandez walk put two base runners for Rockwell, who had a single, but a fielding error committed by the Tritons on same play allowed for Donachie to score and make it a 7-1 game.
However, NSU needed to fend off Eckerd's offense in the fifth and sixth innings. Alex Sasso hit a two-run shot to right center in the fifth to cut the Sharks' lead down to four. Then in the sixth, with two outs and runners on first and second, an NSU fielding miscue allowed for Weimken to score from second to make it a three-run game.
Dani Caron (Jr., Wellington, Fla.) had the win after throwing five innings and allowing three runs - two earned - off four hits.
Alex Koronkiewicz received the loss after giving up seven runs - two earned - off nine hits in four innings.
The Sharks begin single-elimination Championship Bracket play at the Eckerd Spring Invitational tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. NSU will face the winner of the game involving the No. 4 and No. 5 Championship Bracket seeds, who play at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
