The FAU baseball team (13-5) lost to the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison (9-7) on Tuesday afternoon at FAU Baseball Stadium. The game was moved up to an earlier time due to rain. 

“We were bad in everything,” head coach John McCormack said. “We didn’t pitch, we didn’t play defense, and we didn’t hit.”

The Owls started quickly by plating two runs in the first. Sophomore right fielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. reached base on a groundball and was brought home via a homer to dead center field from sophomore first baseman Nolan Schanuel. 

NDSU plated four runs in the third inning. Junior second baseman Druw Sackett led off with a single to shallow center field and was brought in a couple of at-bats later with a sac fly from sophomore right fielder Cadyn Schwabe. Junior first baseman Brock Anderson singled, stole a base, and scored after an RBI single from Schwabe. Senior designated hitter Jack Simonsen cleared the bases with a homer to put the Bison ahead 4-2. 

With NDSU still leading 4-2, sophomore left-hander Marc DeGusipe took over the mound for FAU in the fifth. Sophomore right-hander Nicholas Del Prado threw 75 pitches across four innings and allowed four runs on eight hits. 

The Bison plated four more runs. Anderson walked to lead off the inning. DeGusipe sat down after that, throwing 36 pitches, conceding a run, and striking out five. Sophomore left-hander Sam Drumheller took over and let three runs (two earned) across in the seventh.

With Anderson on first, Schwabe walked and junior shortstop Peter Brookshaw singled. Simonsen hit an RBI single to drive in two runs, which marked the end of Drumheller’s day. Junior southpaw Evan Waterbor entered the game. Sophomore catcher Will Busch singled, then junior left fielder Terrell Huggins reached on an error to drive the eighth run home. 

“We give up these big innings and we can’t get out of them,” McCormack said. “No one can stop the bleeding, and we can’t make a play to get out of them.” 

Rincones Jr. homered to right-center field in the bottom of the seventh to make it 8-3.

“[Rincones Jr.] is a good hitter, he likes to compete,” McCormack said.

In the ninth inning, FAU used three pitchers. Sophomore right-hander Hayden Compton started the inning. He threw 10 pitches and gave up three runs on two hits and a walk. Senior right-hander Shane Magrann followed, throwing nine pitches and allowing a run on two hits. After Magrann sat down, freshman right-hander Bryce Braxton took over the hill and allowed a hit. Braxton was the team’s eighth pitcher of the day. 

McCormack said that the use of three pitchers in the ninth was not enough. He also doesn’t expect Magrann’s place on the mound to be permanent.

“We’re trying, but his stuff’s gotta get better, and more consistent,” he said. “I just appreciate [Magrann] giving it a shot.” 

The Bison continued the stampede, adding four more runs in the ninth. The first run was brought in after a walk and two singles, then the next batter doubled for another run. The batter that followed grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring home NDSU’s 11th run. Brookshaw singled to right field to increase the lead to 12-3. 

The Owls head out on the road for their first conference series this weekend, as they take on the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg, Miss. The three-game set will take place from Friday, March 18 through Sunday, March 20. Broadcast information has not been released yet. 

“I don’t think there’s any preparing; it’s not like you get in the bus and drive around the campus and then get out,” McCormack said. “All of these guys have been on enough road trips.”

Bryce Totz is the Sports Editor at the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email him at [email protected], or tweet him @brycetotz.