BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Feb. 18, 2019) – Bobby Morgensen had two two-out, two-strike run-scoring hits, and the Florida Atlantic University bullpen threw shutout baseball over the final six innings to overcome Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday night at FAU Baseball Stadium, 6-4.
Quotable
Head Coach John McCormack:
“I thought the guys played really well … Offensively, it was a really, really good night. Especially for Bobby (Morgensen, on) two-out, two-strike counts, he drives in three, and that’s the difference in the game. DO (Dylan O’Connell) gets in the game for the first time this year after being banged up, Mitch Hartigan gets his first save. A lot of good stuff. Good to win at home against a really quality opponent.”
Full Opening Statement from Coach Mac
https://fausports.com/showcase/embed.aspx?Archive=3459
The Turning Point
The Owls (4-0) took a 1-0 lead in the first, but fell prey to four FGCU (0-4) runs in the third. They got two back in the home third – on a Mitchell Hartigan double and a Nicholas Toney sacrifice fly – but each team threw up zeroes for the next couple of innings.
The Finish
It took until the bottom of the sixth for FAU to break through. On a 3-and-2 count with two outs, Morgensen laced a single through the right side to score both Cade Parker and Francisco Urbaez for the lead. He would plate Urbaez in similar fashion two innings later, again with two down and on a 2-2 pitch, for insurance. Meanwhile, Hunter Cooley (1 2/3 innings), Mike Entenza (2 1/3 innings), Dylan O’Connell in the eighth and Hartigan in the ninth combined to stifle the Eagles and close out the win.
The Arms
· Marc DeGusipe was on the hill to start, throwing two scoreless before the Eagles got to him in the third. He had three strikeouts in his debut
· Cooley allowed just a hit and struck out two
· Entenza (1-0) picked up the win, striking out four while also only giving up one hit
· In the eighth, O’Connell needed just nine pitches for a 1-2-3 inning. He also had one K
· Hartigan notched his first collegiate save, aided by a nice defensive play by Jared DeSantolo at first for the first out, with the game ending on a fielder’s choice with runners on the corners
The Bats
· Morgensen and Hartigan each had multi-hit games, with three and one RBI, respectively. Both of Hartigan’s hits were doubles
· Andru Summerall got on base four times (a single, hit-by-pitch and two walks); Urbaez was on three times (a single and two HBP)
· Urbaez, Morgensen and Wilfredo Alvarez each have recorded at least one hit in all four games this season. Dating back to last season, Alvarez has now reached safely in 12 straight
· The Owls saw their consecutive inning streak of reaching base come to an end at 24 after a 1-2-3 fourth, but did reach in each of the next four
What’s Next
FAU plays host to three games at FAU Baseball Stadium this weekend, versus Binghamton. Friday night’s opener will have a first pitch of 6:30 p.m.
– FAUSports.com –
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.
