Sharks Explode Early, Roll Past Hillsborough in Five-Inning Rout
Tampa, FL - Miami Dade wasted no time taking control and never looked back in a 16–2 run-rule victory over Hillsborough on the road, piling up 16 runs on 16 hits across five innings.
The Sharks jumped on the board immediately in the first, sending 10 hitters to the plate and hanging a five-spot. Alyssa Densmore got things started with a two-run single to center that brought home Caroline Mito and Makayla Deleon. Moments later, Ebba Sofia Eriksson ripped an RBI double, and Maria Julia Pedroso followed with a run-scoring triple to extend the early lead. Cate Haggerty capped the inning with an RBI single, giving Miami Dade a 5–0 advantage before Hillsborough recorded its third out.
Miami Dade kept applying pressure in the second. Pedroso lifted a sacrifice fly to score Densmore, and Cintia Escalante added an RBI single to push the margin to 7–0. In the third, Mito added to her strong afternoon with a solo home run to center, making it 8–0.
The Sharks broke the game open in the fourth with six more runs. Escalante brought in another on a sacrifice fly before Savannah Barlow delivered a two-run single to center. Deleon followed with an RBI knock, Mito swiped home on a steal, and Densmore capped the inning with another RBI single as Miami Dade stretched the lead to 14–0.
Hillsborough got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth on an RBI double from Carlee Anselmo, but the Sharks answered again in the fifth. Pedroso continued her big day with an RBI single, and Sofia Reyes added a run on a fielder's choice to close out the scoring at 16–2.
At the plate, Miami Dade's lineup produced top to bottom. Densmore finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, Eriksson went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored, and Pedroso matched that effort with three hits, including a triple, and three RBI. Mito scored three times, homered, and added two stolen bases, while Barlow chipped in a two-RBI hit off the bench.
In the circle, Amanda Handa earned the win with a complete-game effort, allowing just five hits and two runs, both unearned, while striking out five and issuing no walks.
