MELBOURNE – After finishing the last series with a win, Florida Tech softball looked to keep it rolling in the first doubleheader of the week against the Sharks of Nova Southeastern. Despite the momentum, Tech struggled against Nova as they loss, 8-0 and 9-2.
Cheyenne Nelson (3),
Victoria Szrom (2) and
Chloe French (2) all had multiple hits in the doubleheader. In terms of scoring, Szrom and
Chloe French recorded an RBI, while
Emily Figueroa and
Mikayla Wessel tallied runs.
The Panthers took advantage of its deep pitching rotation as the women utilized all five of their pitchers over the two games.
Game one did not go the Panthers' way as they threatened Nova on multiple occasions, but that did not translate into runs. However, NSU took advantage of the double-digit sustained winds as they had three balls go yard, which accounted for six of their eight runs.
The first of the homers came in the top of second and made it a 2-0 contest. A solo home run opened the third inning and this pushed Tech's deficit to 3-0 before an error helped make it 5-0 later in the inning.
The final three Nova runs came in the fifth off a shot over the left-field fence and this made it 8-0. Florida Tech did fight in the bottom of the fifth to avoid the run-rule as they had bases loaded with two outs. Unfortunately, a
Mikayla Lewin popup to the shortstop ended the threat and the game ended 8-0 after five innings.
The second game began with Florida Tech pushing the Sharks as they had the bases loaded in the first and runners on second and third in the second, but they came away with no runs in either inning. Leaving the runners on base gave Nova the chance to open up the scoring and they did just that in the top of the third as back-to-back extra-base hits in a double and home run made it 3-0.
The gap widened in the top of the fourth as Tech allowed two runs in the fourth, making it a five-run deficit. Nova continued its form in the top of the fifth as they tallied two more runs and made it 7-0.
Szrom gets the Panthers on the board with single up the middle that scored Figueroa. On the next at-bat, French made it a 7-2 game sent one through right field that got Wessel home.
Sadly, in the next half-inning, NSU brought it back to a seven-run contest off another home run into left field. That home run ended the scoring as Florida Tech fell, 9-2, in the second game of the day.
Florida Tech is back in action against the Sharks Saturday, April 3, for the series's second doubleheader. These games taking place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are set to begin at 2 p.m. ET.
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.
