MELBOURNE, Fla. (Softball) - Florida Tech (21-18, SSC 6-6) motored past the Nova Southeastern (20-19, SSC 8-7), as the Panthers snatched Game 2 and Game 3 of the series during Saturday afternoon at Nancy Bottge Field.

The Panthers lineup recorded 13 hits in the day, collecting two doubles, one triple and one home run. Second baseman Karina Suicava led the Panthers firepower, as the senior wrapped up the day with an impressive 4-for-6 at the plate with three runs batted in. Following was Catcher Makayla Palmer, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI. The two players combined brought in six of the total 14 runs. After the weekend series, FIT now holds 155 RBI for the 2017 season.

In the circle, Rachel Pence (14-11) had a stellar performance, as the Jacksonville pitcher earned two consecutive dubs in 11 complete innings. The senior struck-out seven and allowed three runs on 11 hits, while walking solely one on 36 batters faced. Pence currently counts 115 strikeouts on 175 innings pitched.

In Game 1, NSU opened up the score by grabbing one run in the very first at bat, FIT was up to leave nothing on the field, and quickly tied the score on a grounder to the opposite field by Palmer.

Eventually, Nova took the lead once more, with the Sharks scratching another run in the third. During the home half, the Panthers burst into a frenzy as they clawed seven runs. The tying run came on a fielding error from NSU, while the go-ahead run was credited to a fielder's choice. With a 3-2 lead, the Panthers bats were one fire, as Palmer flared a single to right center, which allowed Hailey Leonard and Krista Patterson to cross home plate.

The Crimson and Gray were hungry for more runs, and Kaitlin Buchholz flawlessly dropped a squeeze that not only let Palmer reach home safe, but also placed herself in scoring position. Suicava then stepped to the plate and drove her second single of the day, pushing Audrey Gangloff and Buchholz home to put the Panthers ahead, 8-2.

After picking up one more run in the fourth, Florida Tech sealed the overpowering win in the fifth, as Suicava blazed the run-rule RBI on a single through the left side.

Game 2 started off again with the Sharks taking the lead, putting themselves on the board in the top of the first.

As second and third went scoreless for both sides, in the home offensive half of the fourth, the Panthers tied up the game, when Buchholz delivered another impeccable squeeze bunt that let Katie Maiello run across home plate.

Entering the sixth with a tied score, the Crimson and Gray drastically overlapped Nova, when Patterson blasted a three-run bomb to enlarge the Panthers margin, 4-1.

Pence spotlessly tacked the win for FIT in the seventh, as she blanked the NSU bats with a 1-2-3 frame.

Stepping back on the diamond, Florida Tech has a busy week ahead as they next face No. 5 Saint Leo for a mid-week series starting Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET. The series will then continue on Wednesday for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. ET, followed by a two days of rest before they hit the road to Florida Southern for another conference series. For more action, please visit FloridaTechSports.com!