| 4/21/2024 | Baseball | Box Score BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic baseball had a 5-2 lead on Tulane with two outs in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday. Nine batters, six hits, and seven runs later, the Green Wave had turned the game on its head to take the rubber game by a 9-5 final score. THE BEGINNING Andrew McKenna opened the scoring for the Owls with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first. On the mound, freshman starter Trey Beard cruised through the first four innings without allowing a hit. Beard ran into trouble in the fifth, however, and Tulane would tie the game with two singles and two walks. THE TURNING POINT The Owls regained the lead in the ensuing half inning. Back-to-back two-out singles by Christian Adams and Brando Leroux forced Tulane to go to its bullpen for a lefty to face Emilio Gonzalez. Gonzalez won the battle against the new pitcher, blasting his fourth home run of the season off the scoreboard in right field to give the home side a 5-2 lead. Danny Trehey took over for Beard and held Tulane scoreless for three innings before turning it over to Steven Andrews for the last out of the eighth. Andrews began the ninth with a hit batter but induced a ground out and a strikeout from the next two batters. The Owls were one out away from a series win before things went haywire.Preseason AAC Player of the Year Teo Banks homered to make it 5-4. After consecutive singles, the Owls went to their bullpen for Max Martzolf. With the tying run at third, Martzolf got the ground ball he needed but it went under the glove of second baseman Christian Adams. Two runs scored to give Tulane its first lead of the day. THE FINISH The Green Wave tacked on three more on two hits and a walk to lead by four runs. The Owls were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth. QUOTABLE Head coach John McCormack “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. We could’ve scored more runs earlier. We could’ve not given up the two-spot in the fifth. All that said, we should be able to close out a conference game with a three-run lead and two outs.” THE BATS Adams led the offense with two hits including a double. He finished the series 8-for-11. Gonzalez’s home run was his fifth of the year. He is second on the team with 33 RBI. John Schroeder drew a walk in the seventh inning to extend his reached base streak to 10 games. THE ARMS Beard departed after 4.2 innings with two hits, two runs, and three walks. He tied a career high with six strikeouts.Trehey struck out five in his three innings. He walked one and allowed one hit.Andrews took his first loss of the season. Two of the four runs he allowed were earned. All three runs on Martzolf’s line were unearned. Nicholas Del Prado recorded the last out in the top of the ninth. WHAT’S NEXT The Owls will try to rebound in non-conference action on Tuesday at Miami. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. THE TICKETS To purchase FAU tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or click HERE. Stay informed by reading FAUSports.com, or through the baseball’s Twitter and Instagram accounts @FAUBaseball. |
