BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University baseball dropped the series opener 6-4 to UCONN on Friday night at home. The Owls attempted a late comeback but ultimately fell short for their second defeat of the season.
THE BEGINNING
The first five innings were a pitcher’s duel between FAU’s Hunter Cooley and UCONN’s Ian Cooke. The Huskies scored first in the second with a double and two ground outs before the Owls tied it in the bottom of the fifth without a ball leaving the infield. Nolan Schanuel drew a bases loaded walk to even the score.
THE TURNING POINT
UCONN finally got to Cooley in the sixth with four runs on four hits. An error also hurt the Owls in the inning eventually leading to two of the runs.
FAU chipped away in the bottom of the seventh. Schanuel delivered again, this time with a double down the left field line to bring two home.
THE FINISH
The teams traded runs in the eighth. Three hit batters and a single added one for the Huskies. In the bottom of the frame, Christian Adams doubled and scored on a Mitchell Hartigan RBI single.
Down by two, the Owls couldn’t generate a rally in the bottom of the ninth as UCONN closer Justin Willis closed it out for the save.
QUOTABLE
Head coach John McCormack
“UCONN is a good team and our guys know it and I thought that they played a better baseball game than we did tonight. We had our opportunities and couldn’t cash in. And they didn’t allow us to get any momentum. As soon as we scored, they came right back. Our pitchers need to do a better job of having shutdown innings. Offensively, we have to do a better job of recognizing what they are trying to do to us and make in-game adjustments.”
THE ARMS
- Only three of the five runs conceded by Cooley were earned. He struck out five and did not allow a walk in six innings.
- C.J. Williams relieved Cooley for 1.1 but battled control issues with four hit batters.
- Sam Drumheller worked out of a bases loaded jam in the eighth by inducing a double play ball. Drumheller pitched the last 1.2 retiring the Huskies in order.
THE BATS
- Schanuel drove in all three runs for the Owls bringing his RBI total for the season to 13.
- Jalen DeBose contributed his best performance of the season so far with a 3-for-4 night.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Owls and Huskies will go again in game two at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
