Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
New Orleans
Streaking Privateers Beat Florida Atlantic
5/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 3, 2008
NEW ORLEANS, LA - The University of New Orleans won its seventh straight, a 10-6 victory over visiting Florida Atlantic University Friday night. UNO righty Bryan Cryer adjusted to a rain-delayed start time and two stoppages of play to strikeout a career-high 12 and pick up his 10th win.
The last out was recorded at 12:13 a.m. Saturday morning. A pushed-back start time and three rain delays contributed to the five hour and 19 minute contest.
New Orleans (32-13; 13-8 SBC) improved to 24-6 in its last 30 games.
Florida Atlantic (25-18; 12-8 SBC) fell to 6-9 on the road and 4 1/2 games behind league-leading University of Louisiana-Monroe in the league standings.
FAU junior starter Mickey Storey (3-5) needed 51 pitches to get six outs, his shortest start of the season. Storey gave up a pair of early home runs and was still working his way through the bottom of the second inning when the game was briefly halted due to rain.
Left-handed swinging T.J. Baxter hit an opposite field 2-run homer off Storey in the first inning and Mark McGonigle followed with a 2-run no-doubter in the second to make the score 4-0.
Cryer (10-1) was cruising when play was halted for a second time with two outs in the FAU fourth. Cryer had struck out five straight hitters and fanned seven through three and 2/3 hit-free innings.
The second rain delay lasted 50 minutes and broke Cryer's stride momentarily. When play resumed Travis Ozga reached safely on a groundball to the left side and William Block followed with FAU's first hit- a line drive to left field.
However, Cryer settled back in, upping his strikeout total to 10 after five innings. Cryer set down a career-high 12 before leaving after six frames of one-hit baseball.
Johnny Giovatella hit a three-run homer in the fifth that chased reliever Chris Schmitt and two batters later Josh Vander Hey hit a run scoring double off the batters-eye in centerfield off Nick Melendres to make it a legitimate rout, 10-1.
Troy Bubley hit is third home run during a 4-run FAU eighth inning that made the final score respectable for an FAU team that came in averaging nearly nine runs per game.
GAME NOTES: Rain showers just prior to the scheduled 6:30 p.m. CT start time moved the game back nearly one hour and 30 minutes to allow for extra time to prepare the field, first pitch was at 7:54.... Three rain delays stopped play, first in the second inning, again in the fourth and one more time just before the top of the eighth... Cryer entered the game with nine wins, which was tied for the national lead... Cryer's strikeout of Sean Bukovich in the fifth was his 311 of his four-year UNO career, making him the school's all-time strikeout leader, breaking the previous mark of 310 set by Wally Whitehurst (1983-'85) ... FAU outfielder Justin Ferreira appeared in a reserve role, playing in his first game since April 1... Tom Hatcher's pinch-hit single in the eighth extended his hit streak to 16 games.
