By: Tobey Schulman
FAU entered the game three rubber match against Tulane looking to take their first series since their three game set against Memphis. The Owls bats got off to a good start early, and backed up the Owls pitching staff through the first half of the game. A late rally from Tulane however, would allow the Green Wave to overtake the Owls lead and take the series finale for the series win.
Andrew McKenna opened the scoring up in the first frame with a two-run home run that scored him and Jalen DeBose to give FAU an early 2-0 lead. Both the Owls and the Green Wave would be held scoreless until the fifth inning following the McKenna homer.
Trey Beard got off to a very good start in his outing. After obtaining a two run cushion from his offense, Beard went four scoreless before giving up two runs in the fifth inning. Beard matched his longest outing of the year at 4.2 innings pitched. He ran into a wall, loaded the bases, and couldn’t break the five innings pitched mark. The ball would be given to Danny Trehey, one of if not the most reliable arm in the Owls pitching staff.
Emilio Gonzalez would come up in the fifth, and after a missed fly-ball in foul territory, took the next pitch over the right field wall to give the Owls a 5-2 lead. Trehey helped carry the Owls pitching staff until the final at bats for Tulane in the ninth inning. He went three innings, while only allowing one hit, and striking out five.
A two-run home run from Teo Banks would bring the Green Wave back into the game, cutting the score to 5-4 in favor of FAU. A series of walks, singles, and an error allowed Tulane to take the lead back in the ninth, and would hold a 9-5 lead over FAU. The Owls offense wouldn’t be able to respond and they would fall to Tulane in the final game of the series.
FAU’s record now moves to 20-17, and a 7-8 AAC conference record following the series loss. They’re now tied with Tulane, USF, and Wichita State in the conference standings, and look to bounce back against Miami on tuesday. After a home series loss, a road win in Coral Gables would provide great momentum for the rest of conference play going forward.