MELBOURNE, Fla. – It was a beautiful day in Melbourne as No. 10 Florida Tech softball looked to finish the elusive sweep of the Nova Southeastern Sharks. The Panthers completed the tough task as the team defeated the Sharks 5-2 and 4-1.
Xiarysse Emerenciana put together a monster afternoon as the senior went 3-6 with two runs, three RBI, one double, one home run and two base on balls.
Melinda Rule also had a huge day as she recorded a stat line of 2-4 with two runs, three RBI, one triple and two walks.
Tina Velazquez Rolon began the game in the circle but struggled and only lasted two innings before being replaced by
Jordan Lawlis (5-2). Lawlis took control and shut down the Sharks offense as she did not allow a single run and only gave up two hits.
The game did not begin in the Panthers favor as two solo Nova homers in the top of the second gave them the lead. However, those would be there only runs of the game as the Panthers fielding caged the Sharks.
Tech tied it up at 2-2, in the bottom of the third, as runs from
Mikayla Wessel and
Xiarysse Emerenciana came across the plate.
Cheyenne Nelson broke the tie, in the bottom of the sixth, when she hit a double up the middle that scored Rule. Xiarysse brought her RBI total up to three for the game, as her and Nelson scored, when she smacked her first home run of the year over the right-field fence. This was the final run to score in game one as the Panthers won, 5-2.
Game two of the day saw
Melanie Murphy (18-5) handed the reins as the senior tallied her 15th complete game of the year which ranks her sixth in the Sunshine State Conference. During her seven-inning out she surrendered only one run, four hits and struck out four of the 29 batters faced.
Nova again jumped out to the early lead when a bases-loaded single scored Stephanie Wang in the top of the second. But their lead did not last very long as an RBI single by Tori Szrom got the Panthers on the board in the bottom half of the inning.
The Panthers grabbed the lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the third when a bases-loaded single by Rule allowed
Jaden Kline to score easily. Rule also brought home the next run, this time in the fifth, when she reached on an unsuccessful fielder's choice that saw
Shanysse Emerenciana beat out the tag at home plate. The final run of the day came later on in the fifth when a Wessel single brought home Rule which brought the final score to 4-1.
Florida Tech will look to hold on to its recent momentum and extends its win streak when the team heads to Lakeland, Florida, Thursday, April 18, when the team takes on Florida Southern. Game one of the series will take place at 6 p.m. ET in the Barnett Athletic Complex.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech softball team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
