Five-Run Fifth Dooms FAU versus Rice

Sunday, May 10

Boca Raton, Fla.

12:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

36-14, 17-10

Rice

33-16, 20-7

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

5/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 10, 2015

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla.- The Florida Atlantic University baseball team's first lead of the series against Rice was short-lived as Rice completed a sweep of the three-game Conference USA series.

"That's a good team, it's a veteran team," FAU Head Coach John McCormack said. "I thought our guys battled, we just needed one or two better at-bats."

FAU (36-14, 17-10 C-USA) saw eight different batters reach base, but left eight runners stranded in the contest.

Esteban Puerta, Roman Collins and Brett Lashley loaded the bases with no outs in the second for FAU on three consecutive singles, but Rice turned a double play and forced a fly out to end the threat.

Brendon Sanger led off the fourth with a single and moved to third on back-to-back walks by Puerta and Lashley. Christian Dicks picked up an RBI fielder's choice to plate Sanger, giving FAU a 1-0 advantage.

In the fifth, the Rice bats caught fire as five singles and John Clay Reeves three-run homer put Rice up 5-1.

Freshman Ryan Miller drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the fifth and got into scoring position on a Billy Endris single. An error on a Sanger ground ball allowed the speedy Miller to score from second, cutting the lead to 5-2.

CJ Chatham doubled to open the seventh as FAU loaded the bases on walks by Stephen Kerr and Sanger with two outs before Rice's Matt Ditman recorded a three-pitch strikeout strand the tying run on first.

FAU could not get runners on in either the eighth or ninth innings as it suffered its first series sweep of 2015.

Brandon Rhodes suffered his first loss of the season while John Sebelle, Bo Logan and Seth McGarry dealt shutout innings in relief.

FAU goes to Coral Gables on Tuesday to take on Miami in the third meeting between the programs this season. FAU won the first game before the Hurricanes took game two. Free audio will be available on FAUSports.com.