By: Tobey Schulman
The FAU Owls welcomed in North Florida Wednesday night, following a tough loss to Big-12 opponent UCF. The Owls looked to bounce back from the 11-6 loss, and get back in the win column before their series set with Stonehill this weekend.
UNF came into Boca Raton with four hitters with an average over .350. Right fielder Cherokee Nichols going into this game possessed a .429 batting average with runners in scoring position, a big threat if the Owls allowed baserunners. UNF left fielder Connor Moore also came into the game sporting a .500 batting average as well.
The Owls turned to left hander Zach Abbey on the mound, and made some changes in the lineup as well. John Schroeder would go back to playing behind the plate rather than right field, and freshman Dylan LaPointe would get the start as the designated hitter. Jake Millan and Carter Brady looked to carry over some of their momentum from the late rally in the UCF game, and spark the Owls offense.
Zach Abbey got the Owls off to a good start, getting through the UNF order in the first three innings without giving up a hit. However, after giving up a single in the fourth and then a bunt single, UNF was looking threatening with bases loaded and no outs. UNF would tally four in the fourth, but Emilio Gonzalez would follow it up for the Owls, with a two run home run to cut the score to 4-3. Carter Brady would tie it up in the bottom of the sixth, driving Brando Leroux in for an RBI single. However, the Owls would leave two runners in scoring position to end the inning.
Danny Trehey and Dylan Oborne were both great out of the bullpen once again for FAU. The two combined for a final stat-line of 3.1 innings pitched, one hit, six strikeouts, and zero runs allowed.
UNF would add more runs in the eighth however, with a sacrifice fly out from Tripp McKinlay making it a 5-4 game, but the damage would stop at that. Brando Leroux would attempt to get FAU back into it with a single in the bottom half of the eighth, and Carter Brady followed it up with a two-run home run making it a 6-5 game.
UNF wouldn’t be done however. In the top of the ninth they drove in three runs to make it an 8-6 game. FAU wouldn’t go down without a fight, as Christian Adams opened up the bottom of the ninth with a single. Brando Leroux would stay hot as well, also recording a single in the inning. That was ultimately all that would come of the Owls offense in the ninth, as they fell to UNF 8-6.
While the result comes as a big disappointment for Coach McCormack and the Owls, there are still some positive takeaways. Carter Brady has looked great at the plate the last two games, especially with three RBIs and his first home run of the season in this game.
“Carter is a bright spot tonight, certainly happy for him,” Coach McCormack said.
While this loss certainly stings for the Owls, it is after all a long season and they’re still in the early stages of it. The opportunity to get those losses back is still there for FAU, and all they can do is simply put this game behind them.
“That’s why we play so many of them, we’ll get back to work Friday, get back on the field, and be better,” Coach McCormack said regarding the series this weekend, and the rest of the season as a whole.
The Owls look to get some wins back this weekend, as they welcome Stonehill for a three game series starting Friday at FAU Baseball Stadium.
