FAU began its home stand Friday night against the Princeton Tigers with an 11-4 loss.

The Owl’s starting pitcher Ryan Garton (2-1) kept the game close by holding the Tigers to one run in the first four innings of the game. Garton would give up two runs in the fifth, and a two-run home run to Princeton designated hitter Ryan Albert in the sixth inning before he was taken out of the game by head coach John McCormick.

The FAU bullpen didn’t fare any better against the Tigers as the Owl’s pitchers combined to give up six earned runs in the final three innings of the game. Three of those runs came with one swing from infielder Nate Baird’s bat after he gave Princeton an 11-0 lead, with a three-run home run to left field in the ninth inning that all but sealed the victory for the Tigers.

The Owls rallied in the bottom half of the ninth inning with a single, five walks and a sacrifice fly. FAU was able to score four runs in its final plate appearance of the night.

FAU pitchers struggled tonight as the staff combined to walk three and hit five batters. The Owls were also lacking offense as no base runner advanced past second until the ninth inning.

The two teams are scheduled to play a double-header Saturday, begininng at 1 p.m. in Boca.