BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team (14-9) fell 5-4 at home to UTSA on Friday night. The Owls nearly rallied from a three-run deficit in the ninth inning before ultimately being turned away for their third defeat in C-USA play.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach John McCormack on if there were positives to be taken away from the close loss…
“We rallied in the ninth and we played a good game defensively. All too often we look at what we didn’t do instead of saying “hey look what they did.” I thought their starting pitcher threw really well. We bailed out their relief pitcher, but he got the job done.”
THE BEGINNING
UTSA took a 2-0 lead on a two-run homer in the third inning. The Owls responded in the bottom of the frame when Nolan Schanuel lined a single to left field to score Armando Albert.
With FAU trailing 4-1 in the sixth, Schanuel came through again. This time, a solo home run cut the Roadrunner lead in half.
THE TURNING POINT
The Owls entered the bottom of the ninth down 5-2. Steven Loden led off the inning with a line drive, infield single. With one out and one on, Dylan Goldstein launched a two-run blast into the FAU bullpen in right field. That cut the UTSA lead to one run at 5-4.
THE FINISH
Caleb Pendleton followed Goldstein by drawing a hard-earned walk to put the tying run on base. Jalen DeBose hit a soft liner off the glove of the UTSA second baseman and, as the ball caromed into shallow right field, Pendleton hesitated to ensure it wasn’t caught. By a razor thin margin, he was called out at second base. UTSA closer Daniel Shafer was then able to get Armando Albert swinging on a 3-2 pitch to end the game.
THE ARMS
- Hunter Cooley started and completed eight innings with 112 pitches. He recorded a new career-high with 10 strikeouts. Cooley walked three and allowed five runs on eight hits
- Robert Wegielnik pitched a scoreless ninth inning
THE BATS
- Schanuel finished 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, and a single
- Goldstein’s ninth inning homer was his fifth of the season
- Loden recorded a 2-for-4 line with a single and a double
WHAT’S NEXT
First pitch for game two of the series is scheduled for 4 pm on Saturday. Fans can bring their dogs for ‘Bark in the Park’ day and receive a portable FAU dog bowl.
TICKETS
To purchase FAU tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or click HERE. Stay informed by reading FAUSports.com, or through the baseball’s Twitter and Instagram accounts @FAUBaseball.
