BOCA RATON,Fla.– The Florida Atlantic University softball team is set for a key series against Marshall this weekend. The Owls and Thundering Herd are currently second and third in the Conference USA standings, with FAU at 8-4 and Marshall at 6-3 in C-USA play.
The series begins on Friday, April 8 at 6 p.m. Game one is an FAU red out, and fans are encouraged to wear red as they cheer on their Owls. Game two is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, with the final game at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.
BIG NINTH INNING PROPELS OWLS TO SERIES WIN
Last time out against Middle Tennessee, the Owls prevailed 8-2 in an extra-inning thriller. FAU put up six runs in the ninth inning to clinch the series win in the rubber game. FAU scored the first two runs of the inning on RBI suicide squeezes from Kaitlyn Cunningham and Riley Ennis. Sara Berthiaume then blew it open with a three-run home run, and Zoey Jones made it back-to-back homers with a solo shot to give FAU an 8-2 lead.
Berthiaume and Jones each have three home runs to lead the team this season. The Owls hit three home runs in the series finale, with Myah Murray hitting her first of the season in the sixth inning. The three homers are a team-high for a single game this year, and the Owls also hit four doubles, which is another single-game high this season.
BERTHIAUME’S BIG BAT
Berthiaume is in the midst of a big season at the plate. The junior left fielder leads the Owls in nearly every offensive category, including hitting (.387), OPS (1.074), RBI (18), doubles (9) triples (5) runs scored (20) slugging percentage (.640) and on-base percentage (.434). She ranks fifth in the nation in triples, as well as fifth in the conference in batting average and second in C-USA in total bases (71).
GARDNER HOLDING STRONG
Lynn Gardner has been a reliable arm as the Owls’ ace of the pitching staff. The senior left-hander has tossed six complete-game shutouts this year, which ranks her ninth in the nation and sixth in the conference. Gardner has thrown 115.2 innings this year to rank 29th in the nation and fourth in C-USA. She leads FAU in nearly every pitching category, including ERA (2.36), WHIP (1.15), wins (12), complete games (14) and strikeouts (76).
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