BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University baseball dropped the season opener, 9-1, and the first of a four-game Minnesota series, on Friday night.
QUOTABLE
“We need to pitch. I want to credit their pitcher, who I thought did a really nice job against our guys,” said John McCormack, FAU’s head coach. “We need to make pitches to get out of innings, and we weren’t able to do it. [Evan] Waterboro and Hayden [Compton] and some of the guys on the backend did a good job, but it was already a few scores deficit. [Jacob] Josey has to be better going out for the third. We scored to tie it. That’s where we need him. He was only going to throw three. But it is good to get him back out there. It has been almost a year [Josey had surgery nearly a year ago]. We just have to build on it.”
THE BEGINNING
Josey made his return to the hill after nearly a year ago, but the outcome wasn’t what the redshirt senior and the Owl faithful had hoped for. Josey, who fell to 0-1 on the year, gave up a run in the first, pitched a scoreless second, but was charged with four runs in the top of the third and ultimately the loss.
THE TURNING POINT
Dylan Goldstein collected the Owls’ first hit of 2022, a one-out double in the bottom of the second. Two outs later, centerfielder Jalen DeBose drove in Goldstein from third to even the contest at 1-1.
Josey return to the mound after throwing a scoreless second but allowed four Minnesota runs, giving the Gophers a 5-1 lead.
THE FINISH
Five FAU pitchers would gain work over the last 6.2 innings. The final four pitchers allowed just one unearned run, but Minnesota held the Owls scoreless during the same stretch for the 9-1 final.
THE ARMS
- Josey worked 2.1 innings, allowed five runs, all earned, was charged with five hits, walked four and struck out one
- Marc DeGusipe worked 2.1 innings as well. He also gave up five hits, allowed three earned runs, walked two and struck out two
- Evan Waterbor tossed 1.1 innings, struck out one and held Minnesota to one hit
- Hayden Compton received an inning of work, allowed a hit, an unearned run, and had a walk and a strikeout
- Max Martzolf threw a scoreless and hitless eighth and retired two by strikeout
- Newcomer to the mound, Shane Magrann, who caught a year ago and is expected to do the same again, closed out the game with a scoreless ninth. He picked up his first career strikeout, walked a batter and hit another
THE BATS
- The Owls scattered five hits by five players
- Nolan Schanuel and Goldstein recorded their first doubles of the season, while DeBose, Steven Loden and Jackson Ross rounded out the list of five
WHAT’S NEXT
The two teams will continue the series on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Game times are set for 4 p.m., noon and 6:30 p.m., respectively. The team will play its first road game of the year, when the Owls travel to Coral Gables for a 6 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Feb. 23rd .
FOR SEASON TICKETS
To purchase FAU tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or click HERE. FAU will open the 2022 season at home on Friday, Feb. 18 versus Minnesota. Stay tuned here at FAUSports.com, and on baseball’s Twitter and Instagram accounts @FAUBaseball.
