Season Opener Slips Away for Miami Dade in 5–0 Loss

The Miami Dade Sharks opened the 2026 season Friday afternoon on the road, falling 5–0 to Northwest Florida State College at the SCF Legends Classic.

The Sharks and Raiders traded zeros through the first two innings before Northwest Florida State broke through in the third. After Tristan Bittle reached and advanced into scoring position, Angel Santiago drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the game's first run.

Northwest Florida extended its lead in the fourth inning, capitalizing on a three-run frame. Brock Clayton doubled to left field to score Sam Bradley, followed by a sacrifice fly from Kaden Hart that brought home Anthony Quigley. Nathan Nance then lined a single to center field to score Clayton, pushing the Raiders' advantage to 4–0.

The Raiders added their final run in the fifth when Clayton singled to right field to score Matthew Scott.

Miami Dade generated traffic throughout the afternoon, collecting six hits and four walks, but was unable to string together offense at key moments. Denixon Suarez, William Polanco, Adrian Areizaga, Israel Garcia, Samuel Castro and Antonio Fawcett each recorded a hit for the Sharks, while Miami Dade stranded seven runners on base.

On the mound, Luke Helms turned in a solid season-opening start, allowing one run over three innings with three strikeouts. Kevin Roque was tagged with the loss after surrendering three runs in the fourth, and Jordan Bermudez provided two innings of relief to close out the contest.

Miami Dade will look to bounce back as they continue their opening weekend series, taking on State College of Florida at 6:30 PM.