BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team (13-4) captured their fourth weekend series, in as many weekends, and its second sweep in as many weeks with an 11-1 win over Sacred Heart on Sunday.
FAU, on a seven game-winning streak, coupled its potent offense, which has recorded double-digit hits in the last 12 games, with a weekend pitching performance that saw the Owls record double-digit strikeouts in each of the three weekend games.
FAU is averaging 9.4 runs per game, 11.6 hits per game and sporting a .326 team batting average with a total of 24 home runs.
The Owls’ batting average is bolstered by the outfielders Gabriel Rincones, Jr., who hit .529 over the weekend with eight RBI and two homers, both of which came in the Seton Hall game, and Dylan Goldstein, who hit .500 for the week with nine RBI and had two homers, including a grand slam in Sunday’s 11-1 win over Sacred Heart.
QUOTABLEHead Coach John McCormack on the win
“We played well. The key to the game was the zero in the first and us scoring six against their best arm, statistically. That was good to see. The guys played well. Another game where we got to get some guys in the game to get some experience. It was a really good sign to see [Tyler] Burnham go four [innings]. Maybe next week five [innings of work]. All in all, it was a good day.”
THE BEGINNINGBurnham took the hill, got the first two SHU batters out on strikeouts and the third batter on a ground out. The Owls led off with a Steven Loden single, followed by a Rincones’ single, a Nolan Schanuel walk and a Jackson Ross RBI single. With no outs and the bases loaded, Goldstein followed with his fourth homerun of the year, second of the week and his first FAU grand slam. FAU would score one more before the inning was over and would send Burnham back to the mound for the second with a 6-0 lead.
THE TURNING POINTThe Owls would add one in the second, two in the third and ride that lead until the sixth when they tacked on one and added another in the eighth.
THE FINISHThe Owl pitchers would hold SHU to six hits, strike out 11 and strand 10 base runners for the win.
THE ARMS
- Burnham picked up his first win of 2022 after reaching his predetermined pitch count through four innings of work. He tallied six of the staff’s 11 strikeouts on the day
- Dante Visconte worked one inning, faced four batters and struck out one
- Jacob Josey, another working on controlled pitch count, threw two innings, faced 11 batters, allowed four hits and one earned run, walked one and struck out one
- Brock Helverson pitched a scoreless eighth and struck out two
- Robert Wegielnick closed out the game, facing the minimum and recording one strikeout
THE BATS
- Schanuel and Ross were the two Owls to record multiple hits, both with two
- Four Owls, Loden, Rincones, Schanuel and Ross scored two runs each
- Eight of the nine position players were credited with a hit in the game
- Goldstein led all hitters with five RBI
WHAT’S NEXTFAU will next play host to North Dakota State at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. It will be the Owls’ final non-conference game prior to Conference USA play.
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