Tritons Win Thriller, Take Series From Nova Southeastern

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The first game took an extra day to finish, but the Eckerd baseball team held on for a 12-10 win to clinch the series against Nova Southeastern before the Sharks avoided a sweep with a 12-9 win in the series finale.

The two teams began the second game of the series at 10:00 AM on Friday and made it into the seventh inning before weather forced the contest to be delayed until Saturday. Eckerd held a tenuous 12-10 lead at the time of the stoppage, and the Sharks had bases loaded with no outs.

Coach Josh Beauregard went to closer Chase Achuff early and the risk paid off as Achuff got out of the jam without allowing a run, then allowed only one baserunner over the final two innings.

Nova Southeastern jumped ahead early in the finale, building a seven-run lead after four innings, before Eckerd fought to close the gap. The Tritons had a chance in the ninth, loading the bases with one out, but were unable to rally to tie the game.

HOW IT ENDED
Game 1
Final: Eckerd 12, Nova Southeastern 10
WP: Favetta (4-3)  LP: DiFede (0-1)  Sv: Achuff (4)  HR: Calandra (5), Wolforth (10), Duran (3)

Game 2
Final: Nova Southeastern 12, Eckerd 9
WP: Williams (4-1)  LP: Lanzilli (4-3)  HR: Donofrio (5), Glover (8), Hiott (5), Diaz (2), Chinea (6)
Records: Eckerd 26-14 (15-9 SSC); Nova Southeastern 28-15 (16-11 SSC)

KEY MOMENTS
Game 1

• Both teams took advantage of a 25-mile-per-hour wind blowing out to center field. After each scored a run in the first, the Tritons plated six runs in the bottom of the second capped by a three-run homerun by Mitch Calandra for a 7-1 lead.
• The Sharks responded with four runs in the top of the third, all coming with two outs via a two-run single by Christian Demby and a two-run homerun by Sam Duran.
• Eckerd loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with one out, but NSU got out of the inning with limited damage only allowing one run on a sacrifice fly by Keith Leavitt, Jr.
• Another Nova Southeastern two-out homer in the top of the fourth tied the game at 8-8 when Garrett Wolforth sent a three-run shot over the fence in right field.
• The Tritons reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the frame after Garrett Hiott led off with a double and scored on a Calandra single.
• NSU tied the game again in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Duncan Pastore, only to see Eckerd score three times in the bottom of the inning. Calandra delivered again with a two-run single after Nick Conti and Hiott both reached to start the inning.  Mitch Donofrio was later hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in the final run.
• The Sharks put the first four runners aboard in the seventh inning, scoring once on a wild pitch before lightning and incoming rain forced the game to be delayed until Saturday. 
• Chase Achuff took the mound as the game resumed with the bases loaded and no outs. He worked out of the jam with a 1-2-3 double play and a pop up. Achuff nailed down the save striking out the side in the eighth and allowing a two-out single in the ninth.

Game 2

• The Sharks took advantage of a two-out error to load the bases and then clean them off on a grand slam by Bryan Diaz. The lead went to 5-0 in the second after Brandon Chinea led off the inning with a solo homer.
• Donofrio connected on a three-run opposite field homerun in the bottom of the second, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
• NSU's bats stayed hot in the fourth, scoring five runs on six hits and chasing Eckerd starter Cameron Lanzilli.
• The Tritons staged a rally in the bottom of the fifth. After Justin Glover led off the inning with a solo homerun, the Tritons loaded the bases on a Donofrio single, a Leavitt hit by pitch, and a Conti single.  Hiott brought them all home with his second grand slam of the season, this one launched off the scoreboard in right field.
• The Sharks got runs in the seventh and eighth innings to pad their lead at 12-8. Eckerd put the leadoff runner on base in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings but left him stranded each time.
• Trailing by four, the Tritons threatened again in the ninth loading the bases with one out but only got one run home on a sacrifice fly by Achuff as NSU avoided the series sweep.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• After an eight RBI game last week at Embry-Riddle, Calandra went 5-for-5 with seven RBIs in the first game.
• Achuff's save was his fifth of the season in his longest outing of the year. He only needed 27 pitches to work three scoreless innings.
• Glover extended his hitting streak to 14 games, going 2-for-4 in each contest. His homer in the second game was his team-leading eighth of the season.
• The series win over Nova Southeastern is Eckerd's first since NSU joined the NCAA in 2002.
• The loss in the finale dropped Eckerd back into second place in the SSC standings, a half-game behind Embry-Riddle.

UP NEXT
The Tritons host Saint Leo for another important conference series next week beginning on Thursday with a 3:00 PM doubleheader.