| 3/28/2025 | Baseball | Box Score SAN ANTONIO – Florida Atlantic baseball let an early lead slip away on Friday night and ultimately fell to UTSA by a 10-7 final in American Athletic Conference play. The Owls (19-7, 2-2) and the Roadrunners (21-7, 3-1) square off again on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. THE BEGINNING The Owls scored five runs in the second inning to take an early lead. After three straight hits loaded the bases, Brando Leroux was hit by a pitch to force across a game-tying run. With the bases still loaded, Marshall Lipsey connected for a grand slam to put the visitors up 5-1.UTSA chipped away with two runs in the third before a Jake Duer sacrifice fly put the Owls back up by three. The Roadrunners pulled one more back in the ensuing half-inning to make it 6-4. THE TURNING POINT A combination of subpar defense by the Owls and heads-up baserunning by UTSA led to a three-run Roadrunners’ sixth inning. With a runner on second and two outs, UTSA’s Ty Hodge beat out a slow ground ball to first base. While the close play happened at first, Andrew Stucky, the runner from second, rounded third and beat the throw to the plate (6-5).After a UTSA stolen base and a walk, Caden Miller hit a fly ball down the left-field line. It looked as though Owls’ left fielder Danny Baez had a bead on it for the third out, but the junior misjudged it, and the ball fell in fair territory for a two-run double. UTSA had the 7-6 lead. THE FINISH UTSA would add two runs in the seventh after another Owls’ error, an infield single, and a sacrifice fly (9-6). In the eighth, with two outs and the bases loaded, Miller attempted to steal home as catcher Ayden Garcia threw the ball back to pitcher Dawson Ball. As Ball realized what was occurring, his return throw to Garcia sailed over his catcher’s head. Now trailing 10-7, the Owls would go down in order in the ninth. THE BATS Lipsey also doubled in addition to his grand slam to finish the night 2-for-4. The junior has reached base safely in 25 straight games. Patrick Ward homered in the eighth inning and finished 2-for-4. Leroux singled twice and scored two runs. THE ARMS Trey Beard pitched 5.1 innings and received a no-decision. Despite allowing just two hits, Beard walked five and conceded five runs. He finished with four strikeouts. Steven Andrews was charged with the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning. All three runs against Braden Ostrander in the seventh inning were unearned. Kide Adetuyi retired the only two batters he was tasked with. Ball walked one batter but then worked out of the eighth with a strikeout. WHAT’S NEXT First pitch for game two of the series is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+ on Saturday afternoon. |
