Lynn University

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Lynn University baseball team dropped game two of its final regular season series on Friday evening, falling 9-2 to Nova Southeastern at the NSU Baseball Complex. Justin Lopez paced the Fighting Knights offensively with a three-hit performance, while Joel Tapia-Melo and Amaris Harrison each drove in a run, but a four-run first inning by the Sharks proved to be the difference as Nova Southeastern secured the series victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lynn struck first in the opening inning after Justin Lopez reached on an error and later scored on an RBI single from Joel Tapia-Melo to give the Fighting Knights a 1-0 lead
- Nova Southeastern answered immediately in the bottom half, capitalizing on a Lynn defensive error to score four runs and take a 4-1 advantage
- The Sharks added another run in the second inning on an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 5-1
- Lynn threatened in the third after Lopez doubled into the gap and advanced to third, but Nova Southeastern escaped the inning without allowing a run
- Nova Southeastern pushed the margin to 6-1 in the third on a sacrifice fly before adding a solo home run in the fourth to make it 7-1
- The Fighting Knights responded in the fifth inning as Luca Arenado worked a walk and later scored on an RBI single from Amaris Harrison, trimming the deficit to 7-2
- Lynn loaded the bases later in the fifth, but Nova Southeastern stranded all three runners to maintain control of the game
- The Sharks answered again in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run home run to extend the advantage to 9-2
- Cole Beck recorded a single in the sixth, while Lopez reached base for the third time in the seventh on a Nova Southeastern throwing error
- Jackson Tyer sparked Lynn in the eighth with a triple to left center, but the Fighting Knights were unable to bring him home
- Nova Southeastern's bullpen held Lynn scoreless over the final four innings to secure the series victory
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Lopez led the Fighting Knights offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, one run scored, and reaching base three times
- Tapia-Melo drove in Lynn's first run of the afternoon with an RBI single in the opening inning and added a walk
- Harrison recorded Lynn's other RBI, delivering a run-scoring single in the fifth inning while also reaching second on a throwing error
- Tyer registered Lynn's lone extra-base hit outside of Lopez's double with a triple to left center in the eighth inning
- Beck added a single, while Luca Arenado scored a run after drawing a walk in the fifth
- Lynn totaled seven hits on the evening, including one double and one triple
- Alfonso Lombardi took the loss after allowing seven runs, with four earned, across four innings while striking out five
- Chase Wills provided solid relief work out of the bullpen, tossing four innings while allowing just two runs and striking out three
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights will close out the 2026 campaign with the final game against the Sharks on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.