Florida Atlantic baseball defeated Florida Gulf Coast University 13-1 in the Owls first ever game at their new home away from home — the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach.

“We should move here,” head coach John McCormack said of the new ballpark. “I wish we could lift this whole place up and take it home with us. The venue is fantastic. Our fans will probably have to get used to us playing up here, but it’s a great place.”

The Owls (26-13-1, 12-6 Conference USA) had eight different players score at least one run in the game, led by three from Tyler Frank. The sophomore infielder finished the game 1-for-3 and added an RBI.

“It was a good night,” McCormack said. “We got a lot of guys in the game, a lot of guys in theory that will feel good about themselves.”

FAU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, when senior Austin Langham found his way home after a hit to left field by freshman Pedro Pages. Two plays later, the Owls would double their lead, as Pages would turn from the RBI man to the scorer on a groundout.

FAU would continue to feast in the second, as it would add three more runs with scores from Frank, freshman Eric Rivera and redshirt senior Jared Shouppe.

Langham would add his second score of the game in the next inning, before redshirt junior David Miranda doubled to right center to drive in three more runs and add to the lead.

“We just had very timely hitting,” Langham said. “[We had] very good base running, and we didn’t make any mistakes. Everyone was just able to contribute.”

In the bottom of the fifth, senior Esteban Puerta knocked a grand slam to left field, extending the lead to 13-0.

Florida Gulf Coast (28-16, 4-8 Atlantic Sun Conference) scored a consolation run when redshirt senior Corey Fehribach hit a home run over the right field wall.

Langham and Pages both finished the game 3-for-5 with two runs. Pages also recorded an RBI.

The Owls used nine different pitchers on the night, with sophomore Blake Sanderson throwing a team-high two innings.

FAU will return to Boca Raton to face Florida International University on Friday, April 28, for the first of a three-game series. The game will start at 6:30 p.m.

The Owls will return to the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on Tuesday, May 16, to face the University of Central Florida at 6:30 p.m.

Hans Belot Jr. is the sports editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him at @Don_Phenom_.