RUSTON, La. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team, behind a six-run second – highlighted by a Jackson Wenstrom grand slam – and eight strong innings and an FAU-best nine strikeouts from Javi Rivera, survived to edge out No. 1 seed (and No. 16 ranked) Charlotte Thursday, 9-8, to move on in the 2021 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Championship.
Quotable
Head Coach John McCormack:
“The first eight innings were really good. I thought Javi (Rivera) was fantastic, kind of pitched around trouble most all day. In the second, we get guys on, (Mitchell) Hartigan makes it 1-1, and then (Jackson) Wenstrom goes big fly which really, really gave everybody a breather, (plus) the couple runs later. The ninth inning got dicey, Adrien Reese had some bad luck there … but then Dante (Visconti) came in to end it, and we get to play another day.”
The Beginning
After Charlotte (39-19) scored in the first, Steven Loden singled, Bobby Morgensen walked, and Mitchell Hartigan doubled to score Loden and tie things up for the Owls (31-24). A walk to Jalen DeBose loaded the bases, and Wenstrom cleared the rightfield scoreboard on the fly for a 5-1 lead. Another run in the frame, on a Loden groundout, made for a five-run advantage.
The Turning Point
The 49ers got another run in the bottom half, but Rivera then put up five zeroes in his next six turns. Meanwhile, the Owl bats added on for him, with three in the fourth, taking advantage of multiple Charlotte miscues: a walk, two errors, two hit batters and a balk among them. Morgensen had an RBI single amidst the rally as well.
The Finish
That would be all the Owls would get, and with the exception of a solo homer in the sixth, nothing more off of Rivera for the 49ers either. He retired 17 of the last 22 batters he faced, and six of the last seven to complete his outing. And seven of his nine K’s came from the fifth inning on (two, one, two and two in his final four frames). Charlotte made it dramatic in the ninth, but Dante Visconti got a flyout and groundout to leave the tying run on base.
The Arms
- Rivera (7-0) eclipsed his previous strikeout high of eight, twice (UAB, 4/18 and FIU, 5/2)
- He scattered nine hits, walked just two, and threw 71% of his pitches for strikes
- The sophomore righthander also held the 49ers to 4-of-17 hitting with runners on base (.235)
- Visconti earned his fourth save, all coming in the last three weeks. Since moving to the back end of the bullpen, in six outings, he’s 2-0 with four saves and a 2.25 ERA
The Bats
- Wenstrom’s seventh home run this season also marked the Owls’ seventh 2021 grand slam. He had two hits and matched his FAU best of four RBI
- Wilfredo Alvarez reached three times out of the leadoff slot, with two hits and a hit-by-pitch, and scored twice
- Loden and Hartigan each had two hits as well; Loden reached a third time on a HBP
- Morgensen ran his hitting streak to 11 games, extending the longest streak by an Owl this year
What’s Next
The Owls play either Old Dominion or Middle Tennessee on Friday, whichever loses to the other later Thursday afternoon. The elimination matchup will be a 4 p.m. Eastern start.
