BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team clinched another weekend series with a 10-2 win over Sacred Heart, on Saturday. The series win is the fourth in four weekends for the Owls. It was the 10th win in 11 games played and the 11th consecutive game that the Owls have recorded double- digit hits. FAU moves to 12-4 on the season with the win.
The game’s two biggest factors were the bat of Gabriel Rincones, Jr., and the arm of Tibur Rivero. Rincones drove in four runs with a 4-for-4 plate performance. Rivero pitched 5.1 innings, scattered four hits, and struck out six to earn the win.
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Head Coach John McCormack on the win
“We got off to a good start and then we got real defensive. Baseball and in life, you have to make adjustments. They started pitching us different and we didn’t do a good job making adjustments. Then, we were able to get two runs across in the bottom of the eighth. It was a good win. We need to keep doing this. We gave up no earned runs tonight, which was good.”
THE BEGINNING
Much like Friday night, the Owls scored seven runs in the game’s first three inning, including five in the third. Armando Albert led off the game by reaching first on a SHU error. Nolan Schanuel followed with an RBI single.
The second mirrored the first. Albert led off the inning by reaching first on an error. Rincones got his first hit of the night, and Schanuel followed with his second RBI single, giving FAU the 2-0 lead.
Steven Loden opened the third with a double, the Tyler Kelder replaced Loden on second with an RBI double. The flood gates then opened for the Owls. Rincones hit a two-out bases loaded double to score three and put the Owls up 7-0.
THE TURNING POINT
Rivero kept the SHU bats silent through four innings of work. SHU’s first batter of the fifth inning reached on an error, two wild pitches and a ground out later, the runner was driven in on a ground out. The next batter followed with a two out homer to left, giving SHU its only runs, both unearned.
THE FINISH
The Owls used four pitchers to complete the night, the final three tossed 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball, in fact they held SHU hitters to just one hit, struck out five and walked two.
THE ARMS
- Rivero tossed 5.1 innings, allowing four hits, striking out six to earn his third win of the season
- Max Martzolf worked 1.2 innings, gave up one hit, struck out four and walked two
- Same Drumheller faced the minimum in one inning of work and had one strike out
- Bryan Boully finished the game for the Owls facing four batters
THE BATS
- Rincones led all hitters with a 4-for-4 night, including four RBI and two doubles
- Schanuel was 2-for-4 with two RBI
- The remaining four hits were collected by Albert and Nicholas Toney and doubles were hit by Loden and Kelder
WHAT’S NEXT
The two teams are scheduled to close out the series starting at noon on Sunday. FAU will then play host to North Dakota State at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Owls final non-conference game prior to Conference USA play.
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