FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The East Stroudsburg University softball team nearly rallied for a win in game two at Nova Southeastern, but the Sharks ultimately came away with the victory to finish out the doubleheader sweep on Sunday.
 
The Nova Southeastern Sharks, who were 30-game winners last season, posted a 4-2 victory in the opening game and rounded things out with a 7-4 triumph in game two to improve to 9-2 overall this season. ESU, which earned its first win of the season yesterday at Barry, fell to 1-5 on the year.
 
GAME 1: Nova Southeastern 4, ESU 2 | Box Score
 
A strong pitching performance from Emily Hess paired with some timely hitting gave Nova Southeastern a 4-2 victory to open things up on Sunday.
 
Freshman Shannon Bonewit posted a 2-for-3 performance at the plate with an RBI to lead the ESU offense, while Ashley Spencer drove in the other run for the Warriors in the game.
 
Mickayla Grow made her first start of the season, throwing four strong innings in the circle. Leigh Ann Jenkins finished out the game with 1.2 innings of scoreless ball in relief.
 
Allie Janowiak got the scoring started with an RBI single in the first for the Sharks, but ESU was able to tie the game up in the top of the fourth as Shannon Bonewit drove in Kaylee Hazewski on an infield single for her first collegiate RBI.
 
Nova Southeastern regained the lead with a three-run fifth inning, with Sam Sisco, Mya Maddox and Juliana Speranza each registering run-scoring singles in the frame.
 
The Warriors got one back in the sixth on a sac fly from Spencer to pull within two runs, but they weren't able to complete the comeback, eventually falling by a 4-2 margin.
 
GAME 2: Nova Southeastern 7, ESU 4 | Box Score
 
ESU tied the game with a big three-run rally in the sixth inning, but Nova Southeastern countered with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning to jump back in front. Savannah Foster finished off her complete game with a scoreless seventh inning to close out the win for the Sharks.
 
Molly Nies went 1-for-1 with two RBIs in the contest for ESU, while Spencer and MacKenzie Lewis knocked in the other runs.
 
The Sharks jumped on top in the first inning once again, this time posting four runs in the frame. Speranza notched an RBI single, while the three other runs were pushed across on a bases-loaded hit by pitch, a walk and a sac fly.
 
Spencer came through with a single to left to score Shannon Bonewit in the top of the third to trim the Nova Southeastern lead to 4-1.
 
The Warriors then rallied for three runs in the sixth to tie the game at 4-4. Nies ripped a triple to left center to score Lexi Wright and Rachel Seiverd, and Nies later scored on an error to tie the contest.
 
In the bottom half of the sixth, Alex Suzuki doubled down the line to put the Sharks back on top, 5-4. They added two more runs in the inning to pad the advantage to 7-4 heading into the final inning.
 
Foster retired the Warriors in order in the seventh inning to close out her complete game and secure the win for Nova Southeastern. Foster posted eight strikeouts in her seven innings of work.
 
ESU closes out its Florida trip with two more games against Barry on Monday, February 10 beginning at 10 a.m.