Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
NYIT
Florida Atlantic Pounds NYIT in Twin-Bill Opener
4/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 19, 2008
OLD WESTBURY, NY - In just seven scheduled innings Florida Atlantic University approached a season-high in runs, defeating the New York Institute of Technology 22-7 in the opening game of a Saturday doubleheader on the NYIT campus.
William Block went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBI and freshman starter Mike Gipson (3-0) lasted five innings to win his third straight decision.
Florida Atlantic (22-14) entered the weekend with the top RPI (52) in the Sun Belt Conference. The Owls avenged yesterday's 10-7 loss to the Bears and upped its road record to 5-7.
NYIT (10-18-1) pitchers walked 14 batters and the Bears allowed FAU to score its first seven runs on just four hits.
In the first inning, Block hit his 10th double and junior classmate Travis Ozga drove in his 41st run, immediately jumping out to a big lead after Friday's upset win by NYIT.
But FAU batted around its first time through the order largely due to what NYIT was doing, and not doing. Fueled by three infield errors and two walks by 6-foot-5 right-handed starter Eric Johnson (1-3), the Owls would score five times in the first inning.
Johnson walked six, hit two batters and threw two wild pitches in four-plus innings of work.
FAU led 6-1 when NYIT leftfielder Jerry Smith led off the bottom of the third inning with his first home run of the season and teammate Denten Neill tied the game at six in the fourth with a 2-out, 2-run homer to left field.
A 2-run single by Jeremy Griffiths with two outs plated a pair of FAU base runners who had been issued walks in the fifth. Johnson was chased during the inning which put the Owls back in front 9-6.
Block added a 2-run homer in the sixth, his fifth, and Nick Arata and Mike McKenna followed with home runs- all were hit into the blue-surfaced tennis courts beyond the left centerfield fence.
The late offensive surge against the NYIT bullpen of eight runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh gave FAU the cushion it needed to finish off the Bears in the shortened, 7-inning opener of Saturday's doubleheader.
GAME NOTES: Gipson won for the first time as starting pitcher, having received three no-decisions since joining the weekend rotation March 29... Saturday's opening game is the only scheduled 7-inning game FAU will play in 2008... NYIT's President's Field is one of the smallest ballparks that FAU will visit this season, going just 315 down the lines and 365 in left centerfield and 356 in right centerfield.
