McCollough Shuts Out Sharks, Tritons Move Into First Place in SSC

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For the second week in a row, the Eckerd baseball team faced the top team in the Sunshine State Conference standings.

The Tritons started this week's series just as they did last week knocking off Nova Southeastern, 10-0, behind a complete game from Dillon McCollough.

Mitch Calandra's two-run double put EC ahead in the third inning, but it was a six-run seventh that gave the Tritons plenty of cushion to allow McCollough to go the distance for his first shutout of the year.

Eckerd supplanted NSU for the top spot in the SSC standings with the win in a crowded battle among six teams.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 10, Nova Southeastern 0
WP: McCollough (8-0)  LP: Meyer (5-3)
Records: Eckerd 25-13 (14-8 SSC); Nova Southeastern 27-14 (15-10 SSC)

KEY MOMENTS

• Nick Conti and Garrett Hiott had back-to-back singles in the bottom of the third, setting the stage for Calandra to drive them both home with his 13th double of the season.
• Mitch Donofrio lined a two-out RBI single into left field in the bottom of the sixth for a 3-0 Eckerd lead, ending the day for Sharks' starter Devin Meyer.
• The Tritons made several outstanding plays in the field behind McCollough, not the least of which was Sam Cochrane's throw to cut down Jeffrey Cyr trying to stretch a double after Cochrane barely missed a diving catch in shallow right field.
• With Meyer out of the game, Eckerd took advantage of wildness from the Sharks' bullpen to score six runs in the seventh on just three hits.  Cochrane and Chase Achuff had early RBI singles in the inning before the last four runs scored on a balk, a hit batsman with the bases loaded, and two walks with the bases loaded.
• Nick Arrivo's single in the eighth inning tacked on another run.
• McCollough came back out for the ninth and after issuing his first walk of the game struck out the final two batters to wrap up the shutout.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• After being plunked twice in the seventh inning, Conti tied the program record for the most times being hit by a pitch in a career with 35.
• McCollough fanned eight batters, moving his season total to 113. He now needs only six more to surpass Jim Mecir for the most in a season in program history.
• The win over Nova Southeastern was the program's first since April 24, 2015.
• With 14 wins in conference play, Eckerd needs one more to tie the program record for the most in a season.

UP NEXT
The teams will attempt to get in at least one game before projected rain hits the area with the first pitch of a doubleheader now scheduled for 10:00 AM.