Western Kentucky Walks Off With Series

Sunday, April 26

Bowling Green, Ky.

2:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

24-18, 7-13

WKU

30-12, 16-5

Florida Atlantic

WKU

4/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 26, 2009

Final Stats

BOWLING GREEN, KY - Florida Atlantic University has played in a lot of close games, none more important than Sunday's one-run battle with league-leading Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.

Terrence Dayleg hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Hilltoppers a 4-3 win and allow WKU the series after FAU won the opener Friday night.

William Block had tied the game at three with a two-run single in the seventh. Florida Atlantic (24-18; 7-13 Sun Belt) out-hit the homestanding 'Toppers for the third straight day but would come up just short. For the 22nd time in 42 games the Owls had a game decided by two runs or less.

With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Matt Hightower hit an opposite-field double off the fence in left field. Hightower - who had a clutch late-inning hit on Saturday - would score moments later when Dayleg lined a 1-0 pitch from Ahmed Garcia (2-1) just inside the foul line in left field to end it.

Western Kentucky (30-12; 16-5 Sun Belt) wins its 12th-straight series on its home field. Dayleg went 3-for-4 and Wade Gaynor added a two-run homer that had put the 'Toppers up early.

Travis Ozga was 3-for-4, doubling to right field in the first inning and again in the third. His second double brought his season total to 13 and scored Sean Bukovich, who had drawn a leadoff walk and FAU was on the scoreboard at 2-1.

With two outs in the third inning Chad Cregar tripled and scored on a base hit by Matt Rice. It was the third and final run given up by FAU freshman starter Brent Adheen through four complete innings. Adheen needed to throw 28 pitches to work through the first inning but settled down to work four complete frames of five-hit baseball.

Ahmed Garcia was terrific in mid-relief of Adheen, posting four straight scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk before WKU broke through with back-to-back hits in the ninth.

Nick DelGuidice singled with one out in the seventh and Bukovich walked with two outs to bring the go-ahead run to the plate against Shane Cameron. It was the first time all day that Cameron - who worked 6 2/3 innings in a quality start - allowed multiple base-runners. On a full-count Cameron hit David Wilson to load the bases for Block, prompting Hilltoppers' coach Chris Finwood to summon Evan Teague from the bullpen.

Block - 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against Cameron - delivered a game-tying 2-RBI single on a 2-2 pitch from Teague. Block would be picked off moments later with the go-ahead run standing at third, sending the game into the bottom of the seventh tied at three.

Garcia induced an inning-ending double-play in the WKU seventh and Ozga began the FAU eighth with his third hit, as the Owls continued to apply pressure to the WKU relief corps. Joey Burkhalter came through with a clutch one-out single and FAU would load the bases with two outs but would not score.

The leadoff double by Hightower would prove to spoil what had been to that point a dominant performance from Garcia, the freshman lefty from Miami.

Despite its 24-18 overall record FAU remains in the lower-tier of the Sun Belt Conference standings at 7-13. The Owls will not play a midweek game due to academic finals, returning to the field next weekend against the University of New Orleans. The series, which begins Friday night, May 1st at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, will go a long way in determining FAU's postseason fate.

GAME NOTES: 8 of the 9 FAU starters Sunday brought in an average above .300... Ozga not only went 3-for-4 but made a pair of outstanding defensive plays at first base, including robbing Chad Cregar of extra-bases with a diving stop in the eighth... FAU out-hit WKU for the third straight day... Wade Gaynor hit the first and only homerun of the series as the wind was blowing in from right-center all weekend.