RUSTON, La. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team will try again for win number 30 on Sunday after falling 11-6 against Louisiana Tech on Saturday afternoon. The Owls are one game behind the Bulldogs in the Conference USA standings with seven games left in the regular season.
THE BEGINNING
Gabriel Rincones, Jr. launched his 17th home run of the season to open the scoring in the top of the first. La. Tech responded in the bottom half with a two-run homer to take the lead. Another two-run shot in the second inning stretched it to a 4-1 game. The Bulldogs then racked up three doubles in the fourth inning to build the advantage up to 8-1.
THE TURNING POINT
It was 9-1 in the seventh when the Owls finally broke through against the La. Tech bullpen. A base hit by Caleb Pendleton drove in a run and a single by Nolan Schanuel with the bases loaded scored two more. Down 10-4 in the eighth, the Owls loaded the bases with one out before a double play ball ended the threat without a run coming across.
THE FINISH
Schanuel drove in two more with a single in the top of the ninth, but the comeback ultimately fell short after another double play and a strikeout
THE ARMS
- Marc DeGusipe made the bullpen start and gave way to Jacob Josey after one inning
- Josey was knocked around for six runs in 2.1. He struck out three and walked one
- Sam Drumheller pitched 1.2 scoreless frames
- Hayden Compton, Tibur Rivero, and Nicholas Del Prado threw one inning each from the sixth through eighth. Each allowed a hit and a run.
THE BATS
- Schanuel finished 4-for-5 with a double, two singles, and four RBI
- His base hit in the seventh brought his career RBI total to 100
- Rincones, Jr. and Armando Albert each finished 2-for-4
- Mitchell Hartigan made his first start of the season in right field and walked three times
- The Owls lost for just the sixth time this season when they reach double digits in hits (11)
WHAT’S NEXT
The rubber game of the series is scheduled for 11:30 am on Sunday morning.
TICKETS
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