MTSU Walks-Off With Series, Beating FAU 5-4

Saturday, March 21

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

5:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

13-5, 3-4

Middle Tennessee

16-3, 7-1

Florida Atlantic

Middle Tennessee

3/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 21, 2009

Final Stats

MURFREESBORO, TN - Florida Atlantic University dropped a heartbreaker to Middle Tennessee State 5-4 Saturday. The Owls were three outs away from evening its series with the Blue Raiders until sophomore Bryce Brentz hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, allowing MTSU to walk-away victorious in front of nearly 1,000 fans at Reese Smith Jr. Field in Murfreesboro.

Florida Atlantic (13-5; 3-4 Sun Belt) lefty starter Barry Rooks retired 12 of the first 16 batters he faced and scattered five hits through 7 2/3 innings. Back-to-back homeruns by William Block and Travis Ozga in the fifth had given FAU a two-run lead.

Rooks had limited a powerful Middle Tennessee St. (16-3; 7-1 Sun Belt) offense to two runs before Brentz hit the walk-off shot on a first-pitch offering from FAU closer Hugh Adams with a man on in the ninth.

In a battle of unbeaten lefty starters, both Rooks and Kenneth Roberts cruised through the early innings. Roberts had struck out five of FAU's first seven batters before Nick Criaris hit a one-out double off the left field wall in the third. The Blue Raiders took a 1-0 lead with one out in the fifth when Blake McDade and Tyler Burnett hit back-to-back doubles.

Block belted a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth and Ozga followed with a drive off the facade high above the fence in left field, giving the Owls a 3-1 lead.

Rooks departed with the Owls leading 4-2 in the eighth. Zach Dean's two-out pinch-hit double in the eighth pulled MTSU within one, 4-3, prompting FAU head coach John McCormack to summon 2008 MLB Draft pick Alex Pepe from the bullpen. Pepe retired Tyler Burnett on three pitches - stranding the tying and go-ahead runners on second and third.

Adams (0-1) came on to work the ninth and hit MTSU lead-off batter Drew Robertson with a 2-2 breaking ball. Brentz - a unanimous freshman All-America pick a year ago - followed by hitting a game-winning line drive to the opposite field.

FAU will try and salvage a game of the weekend set when the series resumes Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

GAME NOTES: OF David Wilson (.333 BA) was held out of the lineup for the third straight game with a hamstring injury... Long-time FAU head baseball coach Kevin Cooney, who retired in Tennessee, visited with the team and watched the game from the Owls dugout... The 7 2/3 innings pitched by Rooks was the longest outing for an FAU starter this season... Brentz' game-winning homer Saturday came after he tossed a complete-game to earn the victory on the mound for MTSU in Game One.