FAU (10-5) lost its second straight game after falling 11-4 to Seton Hall University (4-7) on Thursday, March 10, in Boca Raton.
The Pirates got the jump on the Owls early as they scored eight runs in the top of the third inning. It started with RBIs from second baseman Mike Genovese, right fielder Will Walsh and shortstop A.J. Rusbarsky.
With the Owls trailing 3-0, starting pitcher Ryan Garton loaded the bases and walked the next batter, first baseman Michael Betz, to give the Pirates an easy run. Seton Hall wasn’t finished yet, as left fielder Ryan Sullivan came to the plate for the second time and smacked a grand slam to deep right field to give the Pirates a big 8-0 lead.
The Owls managed to load the bases themselves in the bottom of the inning, but they only came away with one run as catcher Mike Albaladejo drove in an RBI single.
Second baseman Raymond Church was able to get a hit in the bottom of the third, extending his streak to 24 consecutive games, which ties the FAU school record.
The Owls attempted a rally in the fifth inning, loading the bases for the second time, but failed bring in a run. Later in the top of the sixth, Seton Hall tacked on two more runs, giving them a 10-1 advantage. In the bottom of the eighth, FAU managed to bring in three more runs to narrow Seton Hall’s lead as pinch hitter Mark Nelson scored a two-run RBI triple, and right fielder Andy Mee drove in an RBI single to make the score 10-4. Following a base hit by second baseman Dan Scheffler, the Owls loaded the bases for the third time but once again failed to score.
The Pirates had one more blow as pinch hitter Giuseppe Papaccio slammed a solo home run in the top of the ninth. The Owls tried to start one last rally, but their efforts were too late as Seton Hall completed an 11-4 win.
“We were arrogant and we didn’t compete,” said head coach John McCormack. “We just think that because we are FAU that these teams will eventually fall over, and they’re not [going to].”
FAU will play game 2 of a three-game series against Seton Hall on Friday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. in Boca Raton.
