HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team took the first of three from Marshall on Thursday afternoon to start the final series of the regular season. The Owls hit four home runs in route to an 8-6 victory.
THE BEGINNING
Marshall took the early lead after back-to-back solo homers in the second. Jalen DeBose responded with a leadoff solo homer of his own in the top of the third.
THE TURNING POINT
It was 3-1 Herd in the fifth when FAU took its first lead. Armando Albert launched his fifth HR of the season with one out. After Nolan Schanuel singled and Dylan Goldstein walked, Jackson Ross tied the game with a line drive base hit to left. Mitchell Hartigan then took the first pitch he saw to right field to make it 4-3.
The Owls would keep Marshall at bay from that point forward though the home side didn’t make it easy. Goldstein and Hartigan homered two batters apart in the seventh. MU’s Geordon Blanton connected for a two-run shot in the bottom of the frame. The teams traded runs again in the eighth.
THE FINISH
After a leadoff homer in the bottom of the eight, Robert Wegielnik relieved Hunter Cooley. Wegielnik retired all six hitters he faced to earn the save.
QUOTABLE
Head coach John McCormack
“We did what we needed to do. Swung the bats really well. Cooley pitched well enough. Wegielnik was great. We’ve got to continue to bring energy. These types of series are never easy, last one of the year, heading straight to the conference tournament. We have to supply our own energy.”
THE ARMS
- Cooley improved to 8-4 with the win. He struck out three and walked one
- Wegielnik fanned three to record his fourth multi-inning save
THE BATS
- Ross finished 2-for-3 and reached base four times
- In addition to his home run, DeBose walked twice, scored two runs, and stole a base
- Schanuel was 2-for-5 with two singles – his 23rd multi-hit game of the season
- Hartigan finished 2-for-5 as well for his first multi-hit game of 2022
WHAT’S NEXT
First pitch for game two on Friday is scheduled for 1 pm.
