TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – (Feb. 29, 2020) – Florida Atlantic University baseball and No. 9 Florida State battled Saturday, with 25 combined hits between them. The Owls had the go-ahead run on base down two in the seventh, but late add-on runs gave the Seminoles the victory at Dick Howser Stadium, 16-6.
The Turning Point
FAU (7-3) got on the board first, with two towering home runs to right off the bats of Francisco Urbaez and Bobby Morgensen. A third run came in next frame for a 3-0 advantage, as Morgensen was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. FSU (8-1) took the lead for good with a six-run fourth, but the Owls battled back. In the seventh, a sacrifice fly by Alex Arauz cut the deficit to 7-5, and a walk loaded the bases with two outs. But the Seminoles got out of the jam with a fielder’s choice to preserve the lead.
The Finish
FSU put three across in the seventh, and though Andru Summerall singled in a run in the eighth, six more for the home team in the bottom half put it away. In the FAU ninth, Tallahassee native and true freshman Victor Castillo singled for his first collegiate hit, but he would be stranded.
The Arms
· Dante Visconti ran into trouble in the fourth after throwing up three zeroes prior to that. He struck out six batters in a career-high effort
· The loss was pinned on Evan Waterbor (0-1) in his first decision as an Owl
· FAU pitchers struck out 12 Seminoles, with four coming courtesy of Mike Entenza, amongst his five outs recorded
The Bats
· Morgensen was on four times, a 2-for-3 game with a walk and the HBP, with two runs scored and two RBI
· The blast in the first was his second homer of the year; for Urbaez, it was his first of 2020, and the Owls’ first home run to lead off a game since May 11, 2018 (Tyler Frank at Middle Tennessee)
· BJ Murray also posted a two-hit game with one RBI
· Wilfredo Alvarez had a hit and drew a walk, now reaching base streak in all 10 games this year for a streak of 18 in a row overall
What’s Next
FAU will host Florida this upcoming Tuesday at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, and Miami the next day at FAU Baseball Stadium. Tickets against UF can be had HERE; for UM – and Northeastern next weekend – visit HERE or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
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Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 4-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 52-28 victory over SMU in the 2019 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
