BOCA RATON, Fla. – Lynn University's baseball team began it three-game series against Nova Southeastern with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory on Friday afternoon. Enrique Perez, Alex Freedman and Ryan Lashley all recorded multiple hits in the victory with Freedman, Paul Stortini and Sal Giardina driving in runs. With the win Lynn improves to 27-15 and 10-6 in the Sunshine State Conference.
Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Joey Sharkey led off the frame and drew the count to 3-1 against reliever Alexander Kline. The senior catcher turned on the next offering and drilled a line drive down the third base line, off the tip of the glove from a diving Brandon Sedell into the Sharks bullpen, placing the winning run just 180 feet away.
Enrique Perez followed with a perfect bunt towards third which bounced high in the air, giving the junior center fielder enough time to beat out the throw. Nova Southeastern (24-14, 6-7 SSC) went to the bullpen in an attempt to send the game into extra innings but Alex Freedman didn't give NSU the pleasure, stroking a walk-off single up the middle on a drawn-in infield to put Lynn on top 4-3.
Nova Southeastern threatened in the opening inning with a pair of base runners but would score the first runs of the contests in the second inning. The Sharks then padded their lead to 3-0 in the sixth following three consecutive base hits.
The Fighting Knights responded in the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff single from Freedman. Lashley and Jason Matusik also hit singles before a Sal Giardina sac fly brought Freedman in for Lynn's first run. A wild pitch gave Lashley an open plate to make the score 3-2.
Lynn trailed until the eighth inning when Stortini hit a double to left center to score Cory Elasik from first base, knotting up the game at 3-3.
Joe Perrotta missed out on the victory but tossed eight solid innings, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out five batters without issuing a walk. Andrew Melchor improved to 5-0 on the year with a scoreless ninth. The junior closer had a little trouble with two walks but used a double-play to end the inning and put momentum in LU's favor. Behind home plate, Sharkey caught one batter stealing and added two pickoffs.
The Fighting Knights concludes its series on Saturday, April 20, with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. Lynn will honor its senior class prior to the start of game two, their final home game at Lynn Baseball Field. Fans can catch the action live at LynnFightingKnights.com and receive in-game updates by following @LUKnights on Twitter and Instagram.
