FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Palm Beach Atlantic baseball dropped their fourth consecutive game on Friday night, dropping a Sunshine State Conference game to Nova Southeastern by a 7-3 score.  The Sailfish fall to 18-9 on the season with the loss, as NSU improves to 15-9.  Both teams now sit at 7-3 in league play.

The Sailfish struck first in Friday's series opener, as Kyle Simon reached base via walk, and came around to score on a second-inning double by center fielder Evan Dougherty. 

The Sharks answered in a hurry however, as they scored two in the second and three in the third to take a 5-1 lead. 

The Sailfish cut into the lead in the fifth inning, as freshman Carlos Lara hit a two-run homer off Shark starter Devin Conn to cut the lead to 5-3.  The homer is the first of the season for Lara.

NSU added insurance runs in the fifth and the seventh to win by the 7-3 final score. 

Mikhail Cazenave took the loss on the night, as the senior allowed six runs in 6.1 innings of work, and allowed 10 hits while striking out five.  Cazenave falls to 7-3 on the year with the loss, and takes his first loss in over a month.  The Sailfish got a nice relief stint from Orsen Josephina, as he threw the final 1.1 innings, not allowing a run and striking out three batters. 

Lara finished with three hits on the night, as he went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.  Dougherty also finished with multiple hits, as the senior went 2-for-4 with an RBI. 

The Sailfish and Sharks will face off in the second game of the series tomorrow, which will begin at 3 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.