FAU Baseball (18-11, 5-4 AAC) dropped the final game of the home series against conference foe East Carolina Pirates (23-7, 6-3 ACC) after winning the second game of the three-game series in a walkoff hit.

The Owls have dropped to fifth in the AAC standings after this series.

Game 1 (Friday, Apr. 6): ECU 4, FAU 1

FAU’s bats didn’t come to play for the home opener against the Pirates, combining with a total of five hits and one run.

Going into the top of the third, The Owls trailed 1-0 to the Pirates. Pirates right fielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart blasts a two-run home run to right field, making it 3-0.

Although the Owls couldn’t produce offensively, their starting pitcher, C.J Williams, managed to keep the Pirates from exploding offensively. His final stat line

consisted of 5 strikeouts, six innings pitched, and only allowing three earned runs.

Down 4-0 in the bottom of the eighth, the Owls got on the board with an RBI single by senior catcher Andrew Mckenna.

“It’s a long series. We just have to keep moving forward,” said FAU head coach John McCormack after the loss.

Game 2 (Saturday, Apr. 7): FAU 6, ECU 5

FAU bounced back Saturday as they overcame the Pirates in the final inning to even the series up.

In the bottom of the third, the Owls trailed 1-0 but were able to even the score after an RBI single by senior outfielder Spencer Rich.

Trailing once more in the bottom of the fourth by one run, the Owls evened the score again with a RBI groundout by freshman infielder Emilio Gonzalez. The next batter, freshman Dylan LaPointe, launched a moonshot homerun to right field, making the score 4-2 Owls.

At the top of the sixth, ECU tied the game with the help of a solo home run and an RBI single.

In the top of the eighth inning, with the score tied up, ECU scored with an RBI single to push ECU up by one run. The Owls evened the score up in the bottom frame of the eighth with a wild pitch.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth, Spencer Rich had the bases loaded with two outs. With a 2-1 count, Rich hits a line drive to center field to win the game for the Owls, celebrating in walk-off fashion.

“Great college baseball game with a great crowd,” said McCormack after the win

Game 3 (Sunday, Apr. 8): ECU 8, FAU 6

In the bottom of the second, the Owls struck first with an RBI single by senior outfielder Jalen DeBose. The next batter and hero of last night’s game, Spencer Rich, followed up with a two-run single, making the game 3-0.

ECU responded by scoring eight runs through multiple innings.

The Owls’ pitching couldn’t get the job done in the early stages as freshman pitcher Trey Beard and senior Pitcher Braden Ostrander gave up three earned runs each. 

Heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Owls looked to keep the game alive, trailing 8-3. With a wild pitch from Eastern Carolina’s relieving pitcher, the Owls scored another run. Two batters later, junior catcher John Schroeder delivered a two-run single to center field, making the game 8-6.

The Owls couldn’t mount the comeback in the late stages of the game. Their attempt to take two out of three against East Carolina came short after a hard-fought defeat of 8-6.

The Owls will be hitting a five-game road trip starting with a bout against the University of Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables this Tuesday, Apr. 8, at 6 PM. The game will stream on ESPN +.