FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. --- The Nova Southeastern baseball team rattled off a dozen hits including a 4-for-5 effort by Bryan Loriga to lead the Sharks to an 8-2 season-opening win over visiting Tusculum Friday afternoon at the NSU Baseball Complex.
NSU's Jarrett Bond pitched 3.1 innings in relief while recording six strikeouts to pick up the victory. TU starter Luke Absher went 4.1 innings in the loss.
Tusculum was led at the plate by shortstop Ben Scartz who went 3-for-4 with a RBI, while Murphy Flood added a pair of singles for the Pioneers (0-1).
TU got on the board first when freshman outfielder Jake Absher led off the second inning with a double in his first collegiate at-bat. He moved to third on a balk and later scored on Blaze McCauley's RBI groundout.
The Sharks (1-0) tied the game in the bottom of the second with an unearned run. NSU broke the tie with another score in the third as Zeth Rodriguez led off with a double. Absher got stellar defensive play by third baseman Max Schmarder who robbed a potential hit on a hard grounder to his right and threw out the batter at first. Loriga struck out swinging for the second out, but Henry Wallen singled to right to bring in Rodriguez with the go-ahead run.
Rodriguez would come up with his second hit of the game when he led off the fifth inning with a solo homer down the left field line to extend the lead to 3-1.
The Sharks tacked on four runs in the seventh inning thanks to three hits including a two-run double by Justin Wachs as NSU led 7-1.
Tusculum plated a run in the top of the eighth when Patrick Usher led off with a single and later scored on Scartz's third hit of the game, a one-out single to right. NSU added another run in the bottom of the eighth to provide the final margin of victory.
Bond scattered four hits, allowed one run, walked none and struck out six in his 55-pitch performance. NSU reliever Kader Rabagh pitched 1.2 shutout innings to end the game.
Luke Absher allowed three runs, two earned, seven hits, one walk and fanned five while gaining the season-opening start.
The Pioneers will close out their Florida road swing with a pair of games on Saturday. TU will be at Palm Beach Atlantic for a 12 p.m. start. Following the game, the Pioneers will change venues and go to Miami Gardens, Florida to face Lynn University on the campus of St. Thomas University for a 6 p.m. contest.
