Sharks Drop Tight One to Eastern Florida State, 4-3

Miami, FL - Miami Dade battled back to even things midgame, but a late swing proved decisive as the Sharks fell 4-3 to Eastern Florida State on Tuesday.

The Sharks struck first in the opening inning when Nidayra Romano delivered an RBI single to center, scoring Caroline Mito for an early 1-0 lead. Miami Dade looked in control early behind steady pitching from Amanda Handa, who worked efficiently through the first two innings.

Eastern Florida State flipped the momentum in the third, capitalizing on a mix of pressure and miscues. The Titans plated three runs in the frame, two of them unearned to take a 3-1 advantage despite recording just one hit in the inning.

Miami Dade answered right back in the fourth without recording a hit. Taking advantage of defensive errors, the Sharks pushed across two runs to even the score at 3-3. Cintia Escalante and Jessica Ortiz both came around to score as Miami Dade forced Eastern Florida State into mistakes and reset the game heading into the late innings.

From there, it turned into a pitcher's duel. Handa settled in and went the distance for the Sharks, allowing just two earned runs across eight innings while striking out four. On the other side, Eastern Florida State's bullpen shut the door, holding Miami Dade to just three hits over the final four innings.

The deadlock held until the eighth, when Jessica Merk broke it with a solo home run to give the Titans a 4-3 lead. Miami Dade was unable to respond in the bottom half, as Eastern Florida State closed out the one-run win.

Romano led the Sharks offensively with two hits and an RBI, while Mito, Deleon, and Reyes each added a hit. Despite drawing four walks, Miami Dade left six runners on base and was unable to deliver a late breakthrough.