Florida Atlantic Ties First Game Since 1989

Sunday, May 11

Boca Raton, Fla.

1:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

Arkansas State

5/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

May 11, 2008

Box Score | Action Photos

BOCA RATON, FL - Rain showers and Arkansas State University's evening flight back to Jonesboro combined to shorten the series finale between ASU and homestanding Florida Atlantic University Sunday.

In what turned out to be an extremely entertaining finish, despite no winner being decided, the game ended in an 11-11 tie.

With the score even at seven apiece rain showers delayed the start of the sixth inning for an hour and 16 minutes.

Due to ASU's scheduled flight out of Fort Lauderdale, both teams had agreed prior to the game that no inning would start after 4 p.m.

With the game on the line when play resumed at 3:46 p.m., Arkansas State (19-31-1; 8-18-1 SBC) scored four times off a pair of Owls relievers to seemingly put the game out of reach, 11-7.

In the bottom of the sixth, with just one out to work with, FAU rallied to score four runs to avoid the loss, culminated by William Block's tying 3-run homer which completed the most improbable of comebacks for Florida Atlantic (27-23-1; 13-11-1 SBC).

Mike McKenna extended the pre-game 'Senior Day' festivities into the first inning by blasting a no-doubt three-run homer out to left field. It was McKenna's 16th home run of the year, which leads the club and gave FAU an early 3-0 edge.

McKenna and nine other final-year players were honored in a brief ceremony prior to the 1 p.m. first pitch. McKenna went 4-for-4 and had four RBI, including a clutch run-scoring single during FAU's rally in the sixth.

Right-hander Mickey Storey made his final start at FAU Stadium. Storey worked a quick first inning, but a pair of ASU runs came home in the second and another in the third, allowing the Indians to tie the game, 3-3, on six hits after 2 1/3.

Tom Hatcher put FAU back on top, pulling a ball out to deep left field, a similar drive to Mckenna's in the first. It was a two-run shot, Hatcher's eighth of the season.

Three ASU hits, including an RBI single by Jeff Baumgardner, generated three more runs off Storey and put the Indians up 6-5 in the top of the fourth.

Jett Jones hit his first home run of the year an inning later, a solo shot down the right field line to extend ASU's lead to 7-5.

Just as rain showers started to soak the field FAU received a timely two-out single by senior Alex Silversmith which scored a pair of runs and tied the game back up at seven apiece.

Silversmith's single was the 10th of the afternoon off ASU starter Jacob Maggard, ending his outing before reliever Jordan Kimball (ASU's second baseman on Saturday) ended FAU's fifth-inning rally by inducing the final out.

After the rain delay, and with both teams knowing that only one inning of baseball would be left to decide a winner, Brett Cannon came on to work the top of the sixth for FAU.

Lawson Hipps led off the inning with a single. A walk and Brandon Eller's base hit on a 1-2 pitch loaded up the bases with one out. Cannon threw wild pitch that gave ASU an 8-7 advantage. Another walk loaded the bases back up, and the first batter lefty Alex Pepe faced, Drew Benes, hit a bases-clearing double down the left field line and ASU led 11-7.

With their backs firmly against the wall in the bottom of the sixth FAU's first two batters reached base. A double-play ball seemed to kill FAU's rally, but McKenna singled on full-count to pitch to bring FAU within three at 11-8. Travis Ozga drew a walk and Block followed by hitting a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall to tie the game 11-11.

The game was called a draw after a pop-up ended the sixth inning.

GAME NOTES: Ten final-year players were honored before the game: Mike McKenna, Mickey Storey, Mike Salivar, Daniel Cook, Alex Silversmith, Brett Cannon, Brandon Kloess, Justin Ferreira, Michael Obradovich and Chris Eberhart... It was the final home game after 21 exceptional seasons for FAU head coach Kevin Cooney... It was the first tie for an FAU team since March 31, 1989.