Florida Atlantic Edged By Reigning Sun Belt Champs

Sunday, March 29

Boca Raton, Fla.

11:00 AM

Florida Atlantic

15-9, 0

ULM

15-11, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
ULM	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	4	7	13	1
Florida Atlantic	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	2	5	6	0

3/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 29, 2009

Final Stats

BOCA RATON, FL - The University of Louisiana-Monroe scored four ninth-inning runs to deal the homestanding Florida Atlantic University Owls a 7-5 loss in the decisive game of a weekend series in Boca Raton.

Travis Ozga's solo homer in the sixth had given Florida Atlantic (15-9; 4-7 Sun Belt) a lead heading into the late-innings and Nick Criaris homered twice but it was not enough for an Owls team that dropped 6-of-8 during a stretch of playing eight games in 10 days.

The preseason Sun Belt "Player of the Year" Ben Soignier hit a two-run double to break a 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth. Soignier had been 2-for-11 in the series prior to the hit, which came off FAU reliever Glen Troyanowski. Louisiana-Monroe (15-11; 6-6 Sun Belt) is the defending Sun Belt Conference regular season champs.

Criaris' first homer came with one out in the third off ULM starter Jordy Poche, tying the game one. Ozga added a solo drive to left-centerfield in the sixth which put FAU up 3-2.

Both Poche and Adam Morrison did their best to keep the game moving along in lieu of the looming rain clouds which briefly halted the game in the fourth. Morrison matched a career-high by striking out five, and pitched effectively into the seventh before giving-way to reliever Chris Schmitt.

Schmitt inherited a 3-2 FAU lead and two Morrison base-runners with one-out in the top of the seventh. Schmitt induced a tailor-made double-play groundball which would have got the Owls out of the seventh with the lead, but the defense behind him was unable to complete the turn. Moments later a game-tying wild pitch plated ULM pinch-runner Josh Gill from third.

Troy Bubley walked to start the FAU eighth, which ended Poche's afternoon, but reliever Drew Graham (1-0) kept the game tied at 3-3 heading into the ninth.

Perry Smith and Boomer Blanchard both singled to put two on with one out against Schmitt. A first-pitch pop-up retired John Prevost before Glen Troyanowski was summoned to pitch to Soignier. Soignier then hit a 1-1 offering from Troyanowski into the left-centerfield gap, clearing the bases to make it 5-3 ULM. Ryan McMillan followed with an RBI single and Matt Collins tripled to extend the lead to four, 7-3.

Criaris hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth before Graham was able to close it out.

GAME NOTES: Rain delayed play for 13 minutes in the top of the fourth... OF Anthony Mesa (.286 BA) left the game in the top of the ninth after injuring his leg chasing down Collins' triple... OF David Wilson (.346 BA) has been playing with a nagging hamstring injury and was replaced in leftfield Colby Gratton (.367 BA) in the early innings... C Nick Criaris (.309 BA) had his second career two-homer game as an Owl.