Tritons Swept by No. 1 Nova Southeastern

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The reigning national champions completed a series sweep of the Eckerd baseball team on Saturday at the Turley Athletic Complex, taking both ends of a doubleheader by scores of 14-4 and 8-2.

Nova Southeastern (11-2, 3-0 SSC) used a pair of big innings in the opener, scoring seven runs in the sixth and six in the ninth.

The Tritons held close with the Sharks behind five strong innings from Alex Moore, who limited NSU to one run in that span while stranding six runners.  He retired two of the first three batters in the sixth but then allowed back-to-back singles to end his day.

The EC bullpen had trouble getting out of the inning as seven straight runners reached base before Nick Alonzo recorded the final out.  The Sharks got a three-run home run from Dylan Woods as part of the seven-run frame.

The Sharks exploded again in the ninth with six runs on six hits, including a three-run blast by Jeremy Vasquez.

Matt Hardy's shutout bid was broken in the seventh on an RBI single by Justin Glover that brought in Nick Conti.  Jamaal Chaney connected on a two-run home run in the ninth, and Conti added a run-scoring single as the Tritons scored three in the inning.

Conti went 3-for-5 in the opener while Mitch Calandra went 2-for-3.  Moore (0-2) took the loss, allowing four runs in 5-2/3 innings while striking out seven.

Eckerd stayed within striking distance for most of the finale before another three-run shot by Vasquez created some breathing room for NSU in the form of a 7-2 lead.

The Tritons (3-10, 0-3 SSC) scored in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Calandra.  Nova Southeastern went ahead in the third with a pair of runs, then added runs in the fourth and fifth for a 4-1 lead.  EC narrowed the gap in the bottom of the sixth as Chase Achuff drove in Tom Buonopane with two outs.

But the Sharks took control in the eighth and added an insurance run in the ninth to finish the sweep.

Kevin Kane (1-2) suffered the loss, allowing three runs in four innings of work.  Calandra had a pair of hits to pace Eckerd at the plate.

Sam Cochrane recorded base hits in each end of the doubleheader, extending his hitting streak to 13 games.  Conti also pushed his streak of reaching safely to 13 games.

Eckerd returns to the field on Tuesday, February 28, hosting Saint Thomas (Fla.) at 6:00 PM.