Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
FIU
Florida Atlantic Wins Eventful Season Finale in Miami
5/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 17, 2008
MIAMI, FL - Florida Atlantic University won its regular-season finale, 10-9, over Florida International University Saturday and now await a first-round pairing in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference postseason tournament.
Senior All-America candidate Mike McKenna established himself as FAU's all-time RBI leader. Nick Arata drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. Arata went 4-for-5, homered and scored three times.
Florida Atlantic (29-25-1; 15-12-1 SBC) clinches a No. 4 seed in the 8-team conference tournament, which begins Wednesday, May 21 in Lafayette, Louisiana. FAU's first-round opponent will either be Western Kentucky University, the University of South Alabama or tournament host University of Louisiana-Lafayette Wednesday. Game times have yet to be announced.
The tournament bracket should be set when all of the day's league games finalize around 8 p.m. ET Saturday night.
Four-year senior Corey Lozano doubled twice and had a career-high five hits in his final collegiate game for Florida International (20-36; 12-18 SBC). FIU was eliminated from postseason play after losing to FAU in Thursday's series-opener.
The Owls have won 12 of the last 15 meetings between the rival schools.
FAU's lead-off batter reached in each of the first five innings. Arata, who hit a lead-off home run to dead-center field to begin the game, was walked to begin FAU's half of the fifth and Tom Hatcher drove Arata home on a two-out double down the left field line.
It was Hatcher's 11th double and with an RBI single during FAU's three-run sixth, Hatcher upped his RBI total to 43.
Travis Ozga put FAU ahead 5-4 later on in the fifth on a two-run double to left field.
In the FIU half of the fifth Owls reliever Chris Schmitt threw three consecutive wild pitches to allow Ramiy Fuentes to score from first base and tie the game 5-5.
McKenna passed Rusty Brown (2001-'04) and Mike Ryan (1982-'84) as FAU's all-time RBI leader, when he hit a go-ahead two-run double down the left field line in the sixth. It was McKenna's 184th career RBI, establishing a new Owls record.
FAU scored three times on four hits in the sixth to take an 8-5 lead.
Daniel Cook hit his second home run in as many days, leading off the FAU seventh by crushing a 1-0 pitch well-past the fence in right field.
The 9-5 FAU eighth-inning lead was not enough for FAU's bullpen, and if it wasn't for a terrific outfield assist from McKenna - throwing out pinch-runner Chris Altieri at home to end the inning - FIU would have taken a lead with five runs in the eighth.
McKenna made two outstanding defensive plays, robbing Steven Stropp of extra bases on a leaping catch at the wall.
As it turned out, Alex Pepe allowed four game-tying runs generated by four-straight FIU hits in the bottom of the eighth Right-handed reliever Chris Eberhart (1-0) finished the inning and picked up the win- thanks to the FAU bats plating what turned out to be the winning run in the top of the ninth.
Cook singled, stole second and advanced to third on Jorge Marban's (1-4) wild pitch. Arata singled up the middle through a drawn-in infield to set the stage for Mickey Storey who was warming up to come in and attempt to save his first game since his freshman year.
But a non-apparent injury forced Storey to leave the game just as he was about to close it out. With two outs and in the middle of a 1-1 count, Storey was pulled in a bizarre and confusing meeting at the mound. Brett Cannon and then Richard Anaya allowed singles before Anaya was able to get a fly-out and end the regular season finale for both clubs.
GAME NOTES: RF Mike McKenna and 2B William Block finished the entire 55-game regular season playing and starting every game at their respective positions... William Block stole three bases- equaling an FAU single-game record, he leads the team with 13... Block finished the three-game series with FIU 9-for-13 with a home run and seven runs scored... Block now ranks fourth all-time on FAU's home run list with 36... Travis Ozga finished the regular-season with 56 RBI... Ozga appeared in all 55 games, starting in 48 at first base and once at third base... It was 'Senior Day' at FIU's University Park, the Golden Panthers entered both Friday and Saturday's games knowing they were mathematically eliminated from postseason play... FIU's Ryan Mollica finished the season hitting .413.
