FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Eckerd Tritons baseball team completed a three-game sweep of the Nova Southeastern Sharks on Saturday, winning game one by a score of 8-4 before taking the finale by a final of 13-3.
In game one, the Tritons belted 15 hits on their way to a victory. Following a scoreless opening frame, Eckerd struck first in the second after Joey Bazydlo drove in a run to bring home Luis Garrido. Kam Gelwick produced another pair of runs for the Tritons in the ensuing inning, sending a double down the left-field line to make it a 3-0 game after three complete. The two teams put up zeroes in the fourth before a lengthy weather delay halted the game. Starting pitcher Dearl Edens was removed after the long break, ending his outing without allowing a hit.
An RBI infield single by Garrido and a double play that resulted in a run extended the lead for the Tritons in a busy fifth inning. The Sharks hit a bases-clearing triple in the bottom half to cut the gap to two, but Eckerd got two of those back in the sixth after Hunter Rebhan launched a two-run home run. Ean Gimson's sacrifice fly accounted for the final run of the game for the Tritons in the eighth before the team worked around a run by NSU in the home half.
Three different Tritons — Bazydlo, Rebhan and Gelwick — posted three-hit games, while Jacob Thomas was credited with the win on the mound. Christian Del Campo secured the save after finishing the final three innings.
In game two, Eckerd received a balanced mix of strong pitching and offense. Starter Tyler Brashear allowed the game's first run on a home run in the second inning but did not surrender another hit during the rest of his outing, finishing with seven innings and 13 strikeouts.
The Tritons responded to the NSU homer with a three-run third inning, beginning with Dawson Jones' sacrifice fly to even the game. A bases-loaded walk and a hit by pitch brought in the next two runs as Eckerd took a 3-1 lead after three innings.
Another bases-loaded hit batter sparked a three-run fourth inning for the Tritons before Bazydlo came through with a two-run single to push the lead to 6-1. Christian Cabina added another run in the fifth with an RBI single, while he, Rebhan and Jones each added RBI hits in the seventh to highlight a three-run frame. Gelwick went deep in the eighth with a two-run shot to give the team a 12-1 advantage before Bazydlo continued his strong day with an RBI double in the ninth.
Eckerd tallied 11 hits in game two, with four players recording multi-hit efforts. Nathan Norwood struck out four over the final two innings to close out the win.
The Tritons will return home Tuesday to face Florida Tech in a non-conference matchup.
