Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
27-8, 10-4
FIU
16-19, 7-7
McKay, Sanger Shine in 8-3 Win Versus FIU
4/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Florida Atlantic University junior Brendon Sanger tallied four RBI, a home run and a double to guide the FAU baseball team to an 8-3 victory over Conference USA rival 8-3 Saturday.
The Owls (27-8, 10-4 C-USA) are one win shy of tying their 2014 record with 21 games remaining in the 2015 regular schedule.
FIU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning before the Owls came back to score two in the bottom of the frame on a two-run homer to right by Sanger, his third of the season.
The Panthers (16-19, 7-7 C-USA) responded by rallying for two runs on four hits in the third to go up 3-2. Sanger kept a third run from scoring as he threw out Josh Anderson at home from right field.
David McKay entered to pitch in the fifth and set the Owls up for a comeback. The redshirt freshman dealt four shutout innings, allowing just one hit with a career-high four strikeouts.
"Drew [Jackson] was struggling and we thought David was a good matchup for them," FAU Head Coach John McCormack said. "He was fantastic and very efficient too, and gave the offense a chance."
Sophomore Stephen Kerr picked up his first hit of the game in the fifth before coming in to score on a two-out double by Sanger to left field. On the next pitch, senior Ricky Santiago hit his 14th double of the season to plate Sanger, giving FAU a 4-3 lead.
The Owls batted through the lineup in the sixth to put the game out of reach with a four-run rally. A CJ Chatham double, followed by four consecutive walks and a sacrifice fly increased the advantage to 8-3.
Senior John Sebelle retired all three FIU batters in the ninth to seal the victory. Sanger went 2-for-3 and joined Brett Lashley and Santiago with two walks each.
FAU and FIU square off in the rubber game Sunday at noon. For tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or visit FAUSports.com.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: McKay, David (2-0)
L: Andres Nunez (4-3)
Batting:
2B: Brian Portelli 1
RBI: Brian Portelli 1 ; JC Escarra 1 ; Austin Rodriguez 1
SH: Julius Gaines 1
SF: JC Escarra 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jack Schaaf 2 ; Brian Portelli 1
HBP: Zack Soria 1 ; Eddie Silva 1
Batting:
2B: Sanger, Brendon 1 ; Santiago, Ricky 1 ; Chatham, CJ 1
HR: Sanger, Brendon 1
RBI: Sanger, Brendon 4 ; Santiago, Ricky 2 ; Collins, Roman 1
SH: Lashley, Brett 1
SF: Collins, Roman 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kerr, Stephen 2 ; Lashley, Brett 2 ; Sanger, Brendon 2 ; Chatham, CJ 1 ; Miller, Ryan 1
HBP: Collins, Roman 1 ; Abraham, Kevin 1
