FGCU Sweeps Season Series With FAU

Tuesday, May 12

Boca Raton, Fla.

6:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

27-23

Florida Gulf Coast

34-17

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Florida Gulf Coast	0	2	0	0	0	4	0	1	1	8	14	1
Florida Atlantic	1	0	2	0	2	0	0	2	0	7	11	0

5/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 12, 2009

Final Stats

BOCA RATON, FL - Tom Hatcher hit his 16th double and tied the game with a 2-run homer in the eighth but the Florida Atlantic University bullpen handed Florida Gulf Coast University the lead in the ninth, walking-in the go-ahead run and the Owls would lose 8-7.

Florida Atlantic (27-23) used 10 pitchers in preparation for its do-or-die weekend series with Sun Belt Conference rival FIU this weekend.

Florida Gulf Coast (34-17) improves to 4-0 all-time against the Owls, sweeping the two-game series for the second straight year.

Hatcher's two-run double in the third and David Wilson's sixth homerun of the year helped FAU build a 5-2 lead. Hatcher went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Wilson scored three times and Mike Albaladejo twice.

FAU ran into trouble when Dan Marcacci took the mound in the sixth. Zach Maxfield - who homered twice for FGCU to bring his season total to 20 - lifted a solo shot over the right-centerfield fence with one out. After a single and a hit batter, Brad Roberts' homer to left-center touched-up Marcacci for three more runs. Before Chris Schmitt came on to retire the side, FGCU had erased a three-run deficit and led 6-5.

The Eagles tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth to give its bullpen a 7-5 lead to work with in the late stages.

Despite the two-run cushion, Hatcher tied the game in the bottom of the eighth - drilling a 1-1 pitch from Craig Crumbly (7-3) deep and out to leftfield - a two-run drive that scored Jeremy Griffiths who had singled off Crumbly to begin the inning. Then, with two-on and two-out Crumbly would need a well-timed pickoff throw from catcher Robert Greene to get him out of the inning without giving up the lead.

The FAU 'pen returned the favor in the ninth. Alex Pepe (3-1) hit the only batter he faced and was lifted in favor of Ryan Garton. Steven Wickens and Roberts followed with back-to-back singles to load up the bases and with one out Garton walked in the go-ahead run on a full count pitch to Greene.

William Block moved from his everyday position at second base to relieve Garton. After a brief warm-up, Block punched-out Joe Guarnaccia and induced an inning-ending groundout to strand the bases loaded.

Block had kept the Owls within a run heading into the bottom of the ninth but FGCU closer Derek Shaw tossed a scoreless inning to preserve the win and earn his sixth save.

Florida Atlantic will host FIU in a three-game series which will determine FAU's postseason fate. Game One is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by a 6:30 p.m. game on Friday and a 1 p.m. meeting Sunday.

GAME NOTES: FAU redshirt junior Kenny Gray made his first pitching appearance since his true freshman season in 2006... SS Nick DelGuidice (.323 BA) - a strong candidate for the Sun Belt Conference 'Newcomer of the Year' award - has struck out just 16 times in 213 plate appearances... As a team FAU has struck out just 275 times this year, a noted improvement from its total of 409 in 2008... Zach Maxfield (20 HRs) and Tim Roberson (19 HRs) rank No. 1 and 2 in the Atlantic Sun Conference in homeruns; both have long surpassed the FGCU school record for homers in a season which had been 14.