FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - On Saturday afternoon, Florida Tech (26-18, 10-11 SSC) powered its way past Nova Southeastern (16-22, 5-13 SSC) to complete its first conference sweep of the 2018 season. After run-ruling the Sharks 8-0 in Game 1, the Melbourne lineup fought through 13 long innings before defeating NSU, 4-2 in the second game of the doubleheader at the Ad Griffin Sports Complex. 

In the circle, juniors McKenzie Krutsinger (7-7) and Melanie Murphy (13-7) earned one win apiece during the afternoon outing. Striking out two in Game 1, Krutsinger held the Nova lineup scoreless for five complete innings and only allowed four hits, while Murphy earned her 13^th win of the season after pitching 13 complete innings, where she faced 48 batters, struck out four, and allowed solely 9 hits.

At the plate for Florida Tech, junior Xiarysse Emerenciana and sophomore Vanessa Rubio drove in two and four RBI respectively. Emerenciana ended the Saturday outing with a 4-for-10 performance, while Rubio blasted her fourth home run of the season in Game 1 and hit a sac-fly in Game 2 to force extra inning play.

Also contributing to the today's efforts, Makayla Palmer and Alexus Smith recorded one RBI apiece, while Jessica Callahan pushed across two RBI of her own for the Crimson and Gray squad.

During Game 1, the scoreboard remained blank for two straight innings until the Panthers offense burst in the top of the third. With bases loaded, the NSU mound awarded Callahan with a walk to bring in the first run for FIT, which was then followed up with a sac-fly to right field by Palmer, which enlarged the FIT stretch, 2-0. With only one out and two runners on base, Rubio stepped into the box and delivered a three-run bomb to right center to further increase the Panthers lead to five

In the top of the fourth, Florida Tech drove home two more runs on a single up the middle by Emerenciana, while Callahan hit a sac-fly RBI to right center to put NSU at an eight-point disadvantage headed into the bottom of the inning.

In the fifth inning, Krutsinger quickly forced three groundouts to seal the run-rule win for FIT, 8-0.

Forwarding to Game 2, the pitchers dominated for four entire innings until the Sharks broke through the score in the bottom of the fifth, taking the lead 1-0.

As the sixth went by scoreless for both dugouts, the Panthers rallied back in the top of the seventh, where Rubio delivered another sac-fly to tie the game at one. After Murphy and the FIT defense ceased the Nova offense in the bottom half of the inning, the game was the forced into extra inning play.

Struggling to move its runners around the bases in the eighth and ninth innings, Florida Tech managed to turn the game around in the top of the 10^th with a double to left center by Smith. Luckily for the FIT, the hit put Florida Tech ahead 2-1, however the Ft. Lauderdale lineup quickly tied things up in the home offensive half of the inning.

In the top of the 13^th, the Melbourne squad came together to break the balance with one out and no runners on. The sequence began when the Willemstad Curacao twins Xiarysse and Shanysse Emerenciana combined to bring the Panthers on base and later utilized a faulty throw by the Sharks catcher to reach home plate for a two-point lead, closing out the extra-inning stand 4-2. 

Next, up, Florida Tech will return home to host rival Florida Southern for a Sunshine State Conference series that starts on Friday, Apr. 13 at 3 p.m. ET.

For more info, please visit FloridaTechSports.com.