Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
New Orleans
Florida Atlantic Drops Heart-Breaker in New Orleans
5/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 4, 2008
NEW ORLEANS, LA - Alan Harris hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth, sending the University of New Orleans past Florida Atlantic University 6-4 Sunday. The three-run shot by Harris allowed UNO its second consecutive walk-off victory over the Owls and a series sweep.
Florida Atlantic (25-20; 12-10 SBC) falls to 6-11 on the road and the weekend setbacks may have dashed the Owls' hope of finishing the season as the Sun Belt Conference regular-season champs .
New Orleans (34-13; 15-8 SBC) is one of the hottest teams in the country, having won nine straight. The Privateers remain within striking distance of first-place University of Louisiana Monroe with six games remaining in the league schedule.
FAU had taken the lead in the top of the ninth. Tom Hatcher had singled down the left field line to lead off the inning and Alex Silversmith followed with an RBI-double, putting FAU in a position to win 4-3.
Hatcher went 3-for-4, hit his seventh home run and stole base for FAU.
Michael Obradovich (3-4) had turned in a terrific outing, allowing just four hits and needing just 89 pitches to work through eight complete innings.
Nick Schwaner led off the UNO ninth with a single, pulling a 1-2 pitch sharply to the right side of the FAU infield. The next batter, left-fielder Jeff Lanning was hit by a 1-2 pitch and left-handed swinging Harris yanked the second offering he saw from Obradovich out to right field.
Harris's homer, his third, allowed his senior teammates a memorable finish to UNO's senior day celebration at Maestri Field.
Mike McKenna's 16th home run (that wasn't) sparked an FAU comeback bid that was overshadowed for the second straight day due to UNO's late-inning heroics.
Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, McKenna drove a ball deep to left field that ricocheted off the scoreboard and fell back into play. Despite UNO left fielder Jeff Lanning hesitating to get the ball back into the infield and McKenna breaking into a home run trot near the second base bag, third base umpire Jeff Head ruled that the ball was still in play. When the players realized the ball was live, McKenna broke for third and Lanning made desperation throw towards third to keep McKenna from scoring.
The play resulted in McKenna's 62nd RBI and his first triple of the year. McKenna scored two batters later to tie the game 3-3 on an RBI groundout off the bat of William Block.
UNO starter Justin Garcia struck out eight and scattered 11 hits before being lifted in the ninth. Reliever Jake Henderson (4-1) was made a winner courtesy of the walk-off homer by Harris.
