BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University’s baseball team took the first game of a scheduled three-game series with Fordham, 9-5, on Friday night.
Hunter Cooley, who started the game for the Owls, but did not factor into the decision, recorded two strikeouts. They were the 100th and 101st of the senior’s career.
FAU saw Fordham put the first run on the board and responded in bottom of the third inning, which was the first of three times the Owls would battle back to take the lead. With the win, FAU moves to 7-4 on the season while the Rams fall to 2-7.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach John McCormack
“It is good that we are comfortable playing from behind, but we have to stop giving up the early lead. We have to get ahead and stay ahead. I thought [Hunter] Cooley was good. This [Fordham] offense is not a great matchup for him. I thought he did what he could to get through it… The encouraging thing was Nolan Schanuel had some really good at bats tonight and had four RBI. That is really encouraging for our offense.”
THE BEGINNINGFordham scored one in the second with a leadoff homer. The Rams then threatened to make it a big inning before Cooley got out of a bases loaded jam. Jalen DeBose got the Owls started in the third with a two-out walk. Shortstop Armando Albert followed with a single, bringing up Gabriel Rincones, Jr., who singled to centerfield to plate DeBose. Schanuel followed with his first double of the night, scoring both Albert and Rincones to put the Owls up, 3-1.
THE TURNING POINT
Fordham scored two in the top of the fourth. The Owls responded in the bottom of the fifth, but gave up a run in the top of the sixth. The two teams went into the seventh tied at 4-4. Albert led off the seventh with a single up the middle and moved to second on a single by Rincones. Schanuel followed with his second two RBI double, giving FAU the 6-4 lead. Steven Loden drove in Schanuel, making it 7-4. With the bases loaded, Dom Presto sent one deep to left, bringing home Loden with the sac fly and the 8-4 lead.
THE FINISH
The two teams would trade runs in the eighth and the Owls’ Robert Wegielnik would return to the mound to close out the game with a scoreless ninth and the 9-5 final.
THE ARMS
- Cooley tossed five complete, scattered eight hits, three earned runs, one walk and struck out two
- Dante Visconti threw 2.2 innings, gave up three hits, two runs, one of which was earned, struck out two, walked two and grabbed the win
- Wegielnik finished the game with 1.1 innings of work. He allowed no runs on two hits, recorded a game high three strikeouts for the Owls and walked one
THE BATS
- The top of the order was the most productive on Friday night, tallying six of the team’s 10 hits
- Albert was 2-for-5 with two runs scored
- Rincones, Jr. was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a RBI
- Schanuel was 2-for-3 with four RBI, two doubles and two runs scored
- Jackson Ross, Loden, Caleb Pendleton and Dylan Goldstein compiled the four remaining hits for the Owls
WHAT’S NEXT
The Owls will continue their long stretch, playing 12 games in 18 days, with the two teams returning to the field for a 4 p.m. Saturday game. Tibur Rivero is expected to start for FAU. Saturday’s game will be Bingo night at the park.
FOR SEASON 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.
