BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team completed a sweep of Monmouth with a 17-2 victory on Sunday afternoon. The Owls scored 37 runs in the three-game series.
THE BEGINNING
For the third straight day, the Owls scored first. Spencer Rich jumpstarted the offense with a leadoff triple in the second inning. He scored on a double by Christian Adams. After Andrew Hernandez singled, Lucas Phelps followed with an RBI base hit in his first collegiate at-bat. Later in the frame, with two outs, Dylan Goldstein lined a single up the middle to make it 3-0.
THE TURNING POINT
Nicholas Del Prado held Monmouth scoreless with just one hit through the first four and the bats broke it open in the bottom of the frame. Phelps drew a leadoff walk followed by three consecutive singles by Armando Albert, Nolan Schanuel, and Goldstein. Two runs scored in the process. Rich would later single to bring one more in. All total, 10 men came to the plate, five of whom scored.
The bats stayed hot in the fifth with Adams and Schanuel delivering the big hits. Schanuel’s first HR of the season ricocheted off the scoreboard in right field. Adams’ first as an Owl, a three-run shot, left the yard on a line drive trajectory. That made it a 13-1 FAU lead at the time.
THE FINISH
An opposite field three-run homer by Goldstein in the sixth and an RBI single by Albert in the seventh completed the scoring for the day. The Owls’ pitching was solid, holding Monmouth to two runs on eight hits.
QUOTABLE
Head coach John McCormack
“Kudos to Del Prado. He didn’t find out he was starting until late last night because we weren’t sure on Dylan Oborne’s status. He didn’t really have a chance to prepare. For him to go out and give us four scoreless, I thought he looked great. And then of course the offense got going. It was good to see Nolan have some more “Nolan-like” traditional at-bats. Nice to get everyone involved. Good day all-around and nice to get the sweep.”
THE ARMS
- Del Prado needed just 54 pitches to get through four innings. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.
- Brandon Smith debuted with two innings and finished with four strikeouts.
- Braden Ostrander returned to the mound for the first time since last February and contributed a scoreless frame.
- Robert Wegielnik and Tyler Murphy combined for the final two innings.
THE BATS
- The offense racked up 19 hits led by four from Goldstein and three each from Albert, Schanuel, and Adams
- Schanuel reached base in all five plate appearances and scored three runs.
- Adams totaled five RBI on Sunday and finished the series 6-for-11 at the plate.
- Goldstein completed the weekend 7-for-15 with nine RBI and five runs scored.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Owls will head to Orlando to meet unbeaten UCF (3-0) on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
