Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
FIU
FAU Baseball Defeats FIU, 17-12
2/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 17, 2001
MIAMI, FL - Florida Atlantic University's baseball team found the perfect eraser, a 17-11 victory over Florida International University, Saturday afternoon. The two-year series evens, once more, at five. The winner of Sunday afternoon's contest will hold a one game advantage, in the in-state rivalry that has witnessed the two team's eliminating each other from the NCAA Regional Tournament in both 1999 and 2000.
FIU defeated FAU, 5-2, Friday night by retiring 17 would be hitters. The Blue Wave responded in the first inning of Saturday's game with seven runs in the first inning sending the Golden Panther's starter, Luis Gazitua to the dugout without retiring a batter. FAU added two runs in each of the next two innings, three in the fifth and two in the sixth to hold a 16-1 advantage.
Fifteen FAU position players saw action with seven earning a hit. Regan Samaniego extended his hit streak to 11 games with a 3-for-4 performance, including a homer. He also drove in four of the team's 14 RBIs. Andrew Thoms also had a homer for FAU while Tim McNab (2- for-3), Jason Sullivan (2-for-3) and Dean Devine had doubles.
Danny Core started the game for FAU and improved to 3-1. Core, who finished the sixth, held FIU to just one run through five, but saw three score in the sixth. James Callahan pitched the seventh. He allowed just one hit and struck out two. Matt O'Brien and Greg Eubanks pitched the following 1 1/3 innings allowing seven runs to score, all earned. Aaron Diehl finished the game for FAU striking out one of the two batters he faced.
FIU, who is perennially ranked among the nation's ERA leaders, used five pitchers in the effort, all allowing at least one earned run.
The two teams will play in a scheduled 2 pm, Sunday rubber match.
