AAC play opened over the weekend as FAU hosted Rice (5-19, 1-2 AAC) in a Battle of the Owls. While Rice came into the contest looking to bounce back in a rather disappointing season, Florida Atlantic closed that door thanks to a rubber match victory on Sunday.
Game One
After a solo shot from Rice in the first, Brando Leroux plated Pat Ward as the contest was even at two up until the fourth inning. There, FAU scored two more, securing the lead for the remainder of the game.
Leading 6-3 at the bottom of the eighth, a Leroux single scored Ward once more. The final insurance run came off the bat of John Martinez as his double plated Jake Duer. The home Owls won 9-3.
SP Trey Beard had another double-digit strikeout night. Beard went six innings, allowing one run, and had 10 strikeouts.
Game Two
A pitchers duel broke out in game two as FAU’s Tyler Murphy went six innings, striking out eight, and allowing only two runs. On the other side of the diamond, Rice’s J.D. McCracken also pitched six innings, striking out three, allowing three walks, and gave up only one run.
An RBI single by Florida Atlantic’s Nick Romano gave the home Owls a 1-0 lead. That advantage held up until the fifth where a Rice 2 RBI single put Rice ahead 2-1. In the sixth FAU had a chance, but stranded two. Later, Rice added another run leading 3-1. The final opportunity to even the contest came in the 8th when FAU had two runners on and no outs. Three-straight outs ended that hope as Florida Atlantic fell, 3-1.
Jake Duer went a perfect 3-3 on the day as he was the only FAU Owl to achieve multiple hits.
Game Three
The rubber match contest looked to be a pitchers duel up until the fourth inning. There, Rice put up the first run of the day as the visiting Owls led 1-0. In the bottom half of the fourth, an error by Rice scored John Martinez as the game was even at one.
Later in the sixth, a Pat Ward double scored Duer giving the home Owls a 2-1 lead. Rice took the advantage back in the top of the seventh thanks to a 2 RBI single, but a Marshall Lipsey 3 RBI blast put FAU ahead for good, 5-3. Kyle Boylston scored Ward adding an insurance run. Rice scored one more in the ninth, but Florida Atlantic took the game 6-4, winning the series.
Series Notables
Several key players stood out over the weekend.
Starting off, while SP Tyler Murphy received a loss on Saturday his stats proved it was not on him. The Junior has momentum on his side with his second-in-a-row quality start. In his six appearances he has earned two wins. Both of those came in great performances by him and the offense as his closest win was a 14-4 final over Bradley. It may come down to Murphy locking a game down one day, but his performance on Saturday should put faith in the Owls second starter.
Secondly, Marshall Lipsey went 3-11 (.272) during the series, but his hits came when FAU needed them. On Friday, he got on base twice. The first time was immediately after Florida Atlantic took a 2-1 lead as the home Owls were looking to continue a rally. Later in that game, Lipsey scored off a throwing error after drawing a walk and making his way around the bases.
Lipsey’s lone hit on Sunday secured FAU the victory with his three-run home run giving the Owls some breathing room over Rice.
Finally, Brando Leroux’s day on Friday was extraordinary as he went 4-4 and had 4 RBIs. The Junior infielder also had a double and home run added to his name in the opening game. He finished the series 5-10 (.500) with 4 RBIs and a run on Sunday. Leroux’s ice-in-veins mantra this season is a driving factor as to why he has 19 RBIs in 80 ABs compared to his 29 RBIs in 196 ABs from last season.
Look Ahead
Next up, Florida Atlantic (19-5, 2-1 AAC) will hit the road starting a road trip that consists of eight games. The first game will be on Tuesday in a midweek contest against Florida Gulf Coast, the first of four midweek games this season. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM.
