ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After five scoreless innings, the Eckerd baseball team fell behind and could not close the gap, dropping the series opener to Nova Southeastern 9-1 at the Turley Athletic Complex on Friday night.
An early defensive matchup saw few hits in the opening frames. Eckerd opened the game three up three down in the first inning, while registering a hit in the bottom of the frame with a single from Luis Garrido. Both teams went two full innings without a hit.
The Sharks broke the game open in the fifth with a two-run inning on a sacrifice bunt and a RBI single. Eckerd closed the gap to one in the bottom of the frame, with Dawson Jones bringing home Coltin Pizzio on an RBI groundout. The Sharks did further damage in the ensuing innings, growing their margin to eight. The Tritons got on base twice in the final two innings but could not bring in any more runs, falling 9-1 in the series opener.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Nova Southeastern 9, Eckerd 1
WP: Gonzalez (3-1) LP: Edens (1-3) HR: Moronta (3)
RECORDS: Eckerd 2-9 (0-1 SSC); Nova Southeastern 7-5 (1-0 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Dearl Edens led Eckerd's pitching staff with five strikeouts. The bullpen combined for eight on the night.
- Pizzio registered two hits, while Garrido, Ryan Gargett and Kam Gelwick each had one.
- The Tritons turned two double plays in the game.
- Eckerd tossed three hitless innings, with three up three down in the first and the third.
UP NEXT
Eckerd will face Nova Southeastern in a doubleheader tomorrow, with game one beginning at 1:00 PM.
