Florida Atlantic University’s baseball team (20-18, 7-8 AAC) dropped the final game of the home series against conference foe Tulane Green Wave (22-19, 7-8 AAC) after winning the series’ first game on an impressive note.
The Owls stand at fifth in the AAC rankings after this series.
Game 1 (Friday, April 19th): FAU 5, Tulane 0
Florida Atlantic started the series with a well-rounded offensive and defensive performance.
The Owls would strike first 1-0 in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice fly to left field by first baseman Emilio Gonzalez.
In the bottom of the third, the Owls would tally three more runs with a three-run double by shortstop Brando Leroux.
With a 4-0 lead in the late stages, the Owls scored one more run and extended the lead to 5-0 with an RBI single by catcher Andrew Mckenna. These were the final runs produced by the Owls but the pitching got the job done.
On the bump, starting pitcher C.J. Williams ended the game with a complete shutout. His final stat line consisted of nine innings pitched, five strikeouts and only giving up five hits.
“Wow, that’s a statement piece for him,” head coach John McCormack said in reference to Williams’ performance.
Game 2 (Saturday, April 20th): Tulane 8, FAU 3
Despite the amazing performance of the pitching staff in the first game, the Owls struggled to limit Tulane’s offensive success.
Tulane was the first to put a run on the board with the help of an RBI single to center field in the top of the first inning.
The Owls answered with three runs in the bottom of the second. Designated hitter Carter Brady would deliver with an RBI double to center field. Two batters later, left fielder Jalen DeBose hit a two-run double into center field. This was the only offense the Owls produced for the rest of the game.
In the top of the fifth, Tulane came out strong with their batting to take the lead back,4-3. Tulane scored another run with the help of a solo home run in the top of the seventh to give them a two-run lead
In the top of the ninth, Tulane placed three more runs on the board with some great hits, increasing their lead to 8-3. A key factor in Tulane’s victory would be the ability to score runners with two outs. 6 of 8 runs by Tulane were scored with two outs.
“Tulane is a good team. We have to be ready to go again tomorrow. We’ve got another opportunity to win the series,” McCormack said after the loss.
Game 3 (Sunday, April 21st): Tulane 9, FAU 5
This is a game that the Owls look to forget as they were stunned in the top of the ninth.
In the bottom of the first, catcher Andrew McKenna sent a ball over the fence for a two-run home run to push the Owls lead to 2-0.
At the top of the fifth, Tulane got those two runs back as they produced an RBI single and advancement on a wild pitch to score another runner.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Owls scored three more runs, courtesy of a three-run home run by first baseman Emilio Gonzalez, 5-3.
Starting pitcher for the Owls had a solid start on the mound. He pitched 4.2 innings, only allowing two earned runs and struck six batters out.
The final three pitchers for the Owls were on the end of a seven-run rally by the Tulane Green Wave.
“I thought we played a great game for 26 outs but that doesn’t get the job done. But the worst thing we can do is point fingers and place blame,” McCormack said after the stunning loss.
The Owls look to put the past behind them as they head back down to Coral Gables to play the University of Miami Hurricanes (18-22, 7-14 ACC) in a one-game matchup. This game will be on Tuesday, April 23rd and streamed on ESPN +. The last time the Owls played the Hurricanes, they were on the other end of a blowout on the road two weeks ago 14-6.
Game 4 (Tuesday, April 23rd): Miami 5, FAU 2
FAU Baseball lost their road game matchup against the Miami Hurricanes (18-22, 7-14 ACC) on Tuesday, Apr. 23. With a 2-0 lead going into the fourth inning, the Owls lost their touch heading into the final innings of play.
In the top of the first, the Owls struck first with a scoring error due to Miami’s catcher. Following the error, the Owls scored another run by second baseman Christian Adams.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Hurricanes began tallying runs off of FAU’s pitching staff, taking the 3-2 lead after the bottom half of the fourth.
The Hurricanes kept going with two more runs in the bottom of the 5th and 7th, making these the final runs produced by both teams.
“It’s a shame because it was a well-pitched game,” McCormack said.
The Owls continue their road trip Friday against the University of South Florida Bulls. First pitch will be streamed on ESPN+ at 6 p.m.
Jahsheem Benjamin is a Staff Writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @JBenzzofficial.
