Sharks Open Up Day 2 With A Loss

Miami, FL- Miami Dade jumped out front early, but Coastal Alabama–South answered with steady offense across the middle innings to hand the Sharks a 9–5 loss on Saturday.

Miami Dade wasted no time setting the tone. In the first inning, Willy Mendez drove a two-run home run to right-center, scoring Adrian Areizaga and giving the Sharks a quick 2–0 advantage.

The Coyotes responded immediately.

A two-run double in the bottom of the first evened the score, and a three-run second inning pushed Coastal Alabama–South in front 5–2. Timely extra-base hits and aggressive baserunning flipped the momentum early.

Leamsi Montanez drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, and Miguel Colmenares added a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5–4. Miami Dade continued to put runners on, finishing the day with five walks and nine hits, but struggled to cash in with men on base.

Coastal Alabama–South gradually created separation, adding single runs in the fourth and fifth before capitalizing on an error in the sixth and a sacrifice fly in the seventh to extend the lead to 9–4.

The bullpen kept Miami Dade within reach. Xavier Pelzer turned in a strong relief outing, striking out seven over three innings and allowing just one earned run. Luis Lorenzo followed with a scoreless frame and three strikeouts to close out the game.

At the plate, Mendez led the way with two hits and two RBIs. Samuel Castro added two hits at the top of the order, while Areizaga, Montanez, Colmenares, and Nelson Hiraldo each contributed a hit.

Colmenares delivered an RBI double in the ninth to plate the Sharks' final run, but the late push wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit.

Miami Dade now looks to regroup and carry its early offensive energy into the next contest as they finish out the Charlie Greene Invitational against Monroe University.