FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Another outstanding combined pitching performance from the Eckerd College baseball team was enough to fend off No. 25 Nova Southeastern University, 3-2, on Friday night at the NSU Baseball Complex.
With the win, Eckerd (9-4, 1-0 SSC) picks up its fifth win in its last six games and handed Nova Southeastern (14-3, 2-2 SSC) just its third loss of the year.
The Tritons scored all the runs they would need in the top of the third inning. Freshman
Lucas Luopa led off the inning with a one-out single to right field and stole second base. Sophomore
Rowdy Andrews followed with a double through the left side of the infield to score Luopa.
Next up,
Lincoln Dunham walk to give the Tritons runners on first and third with one out. Junior
Mike Abraham – Eckerd's leading hitter among starters – singled through the right side to score Andrews and advance Dunham to third base. Senior
Chris Hanson brought in the final run of the inning in Dunham with another single into right field.
The Sharks added one run in the bottom of the fourth inning off of a solo home run to right field from freshman Andres Visbal, and another run in the eighth on a Tritons' error, but could not overcome a nearly flawless performance from starter
Richard Cruz-Sanchez and reliever
Taylor Owens.
Cruz-Sanchez improved to 1-1 on the season. He tossed seven strong innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks and struck out a season-high seven batters.
Owens entered the game in the eighth inning to earn the save after the Sharks scored on a throwing error and retired the side on a pop-up, ground out and a strike out.
Owens allowed just one single in the ninth and ended the game with four strikeouts. The appearance was Owens' second save of the season after earning his first in a win over Saint Anselm where he retired the final six outs in strikeout fashion.
Owens has recorded 10 strikeouts in his last four innings pitched.
Eckerd will complete the three-game series against Nova Southeastern tomorrow with a doubleheader. The first pitch game one's nine-inning contest will be thrown at 1 p.m.
