| UNIVERSITY PARK, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team and FIU swapped wins in Saturday’s doubleheader at FIU Baseball Stadium. The Owls (20-19, 9-10 C-USA) scored 10 unanswered runs at one point in the opener and won going away, 16-7. FIU (16-23, 7-12 C-USA) used a five-run fifth and staved off the Owls’ comeback, edging out the nightcap, 6-5. Quotable Head Coach John McCormack: “Offensively, we scored 21 runs (combined), I thought the offense was pretty good, although we did leave a few runners on. Besides that play in the second (inning of the second game), we really played good defense. We’ve just got to be able to extract ourselves out of that inning with minimal damage. “First game, Jackson Spiller came in and did an amazing job. Offense was fantastic and we played good defense. And then in game two, again, that second inning was the difference. Matt (Sparling) settled down and did OK after that, except for that home run in the fifth, and I thought Braden (Ostrander) did a fine job. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good … we really, really hit some balls hard. Give credit to FIU, they hung in there and turned three double plays in the second game, one of them was an amazing play. So we’ve got to be back at it tomorrow, try to win the series.” Game One The Beginning The Owls scored once in the first and twice the next frame, but FIU cut it to a one-run game with a two-run shot in their half of the second. The Turning Point In the third, Bobby Morgensen started the scoring with an opposite-field solo home run, and then Owls would load the bases. Steven Loden singled home one run, a hit-by-pitch (of Jalen DeBose) and groundout (by Wilfredo Alvarez) scored two more, and re-loaded, another HBP (this time Nolan Schanuel) plated a fifth run. Nick Toney’s infield single capped the scoring, for a six-run frame. Then in the next inning, Loden again singled home a run, and Schanuel added three more with an oppo shot of his own, for at that point a 13-3 advantage. The Finish FIU clawed back with five straight, but the Owls put a stop to that with three in the sixth. Morgensen singled in a run, Toney notched a sacrifice fly, and Mitchell Hartigan a solo shot for the final margin. Jackson Spiller came on and earned his first FAU save, of the three-inning variety, giving up just two hits over that span. The Arms Dante Visconti (2-2) pitched into the fifth and earned the win Spiller’s three shutout frames saw him throw 29 of 40 pitches for strikes, and he ended it by stranding two in the seventh with his third strikeout The Bats Four Owls had multi-hit, multi-RBI efforts Schanuel was 2-for-4 with four RBI, and scored twice Morgensen had three hits, knocked in two and scored one Toney went 2-for-4 with two RBI, plus a run scored Last but not least, Loden was 3-for-3 plus a walk, knocked in two and came across three times Also with three runs scored was Hartigan Wilfredo Alvarez knocked in two and scored twice out of the leadoff slot With has bases-loaded HBP, DeBose recorded his first collegiate RBI Game Two The Beginning / The Turning Point The Owls scored first, with one in the second, on a Jalen DeBose RBI single. But five in the bottom half gave FIU a lead they wouldn’t look back from. The Finish Jared DeSantolo’s three-run homer in the fourth cut it to a one-run game, at 5-4, and after the five-run second, FAU starter Matt Sparling really settled down. He pitched two zeroes and only allowed a solo shot after. Twice late, the Owls had the tying run at the plate, and fell prey to a Panther double play (in the sixth and seventh). The seventh was magnified, as Hartigan blasted another home run to cut it to one, but it was with two outs and the bases empty; a strikeout ended the comeback attempt. The Arms Sparling (2-4) only gave up one earned run Braden Ostrander pitched a scoreless sixth to keep it to a two-run deficit, striking out two The Bats Hartigan went 3-for-3, plus a walk, and scored three of FAU’s five runs Alvarez and B.J. Murray each had two hits DeSantolo notched his second homer of the year DeBose’s RBI was his second in as many games, Hartigan’s homer was as well, and he’s up to four on the season What’s Next The Owls and Panthers’ finale – this weekend – is Sunday at noon. |
