Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
23-7
Florida Gulf Coast
16-17
FGCU Fends Off Owls 3-2 in 11 Innings
4/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
FORT MYERS, Fla. â€" The Florida Atlantic University baseball team again showed its resiliency on Tuesday night, but couldn't escape the home field advantage with a 3-2 loss at FGCU in 11 innings.
The No. 16 Owls (23-7) recorded ten hits by eight different players in their third extra-inning affair in the last week. Stephen Kerr and Christian Dicks each tallied two hits while Kerr and Jose Bonilla Traverso earned RBI, plating Gunnar Lambert and Tyler Frank.
After FGCU put a run on the board in the bottom of the second, Lambert led off the third with a first-pitch single up the middle. A failed pickoff attempt and a passed ball allowed the FAU catcher to make his way to third before Kerr hit an infield single to tie the contest 1-1.
The Eagles put runners in scoring position in each the sixth and seventh innings, but FAU starter David McKay was able to work out of the jams.
In the bottom of the eighth, FGCU struck on a single, wild pitch and an error to re-take the lead at 2-1.
Again, the Owls responded in the next frame when the game was on the line. Sean Labsan led off the inning with a single and Frank came in to pinch run. After a sacrifice bunt, Bonilla Traverso sliced a two-out, RBI single down the left field line to score Frank, tying the game at 2-2.
FGCU had the winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the tenth before Alex House, Austin Langham and Esteban Puerta turned a would-be sacrifice bunt into a 1-5-3 double play to get out of the inning.
A single and a sacrifice bunt put FGCU's Gage Morey in scoring position again in the 11th before Zach Spivey hit a single to left and Morey was called safe on a play at the plate to end the game.
McKay dealt seven innings with six strikeouts and one run allowed while Devon Carr, Colyn O'Connell and Nick Swan each had outings without allowing earned runs. Alex House was tagged with the loss â€" his first of the year â€" in 1.2 innings with a strikeout.
The Owls go on the road to face Marshall this weekend in Conference USA play. Free audio is available on FAUSports.com.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: KNOBLAUCH (3-0)
L: House, Alex (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Chatham, CJ 1 ; Dicks, Christian 1
RBI: Kerr, Stephen 1 ; Traverso, Jose 1
SH: Langham, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Frank, Tyler 1 ; Lambert, Gunnar 1
SB: Kerr, Stephen 1 ; Dicks, Christian 1
HBP: Traverso, Jose 1
Batting:
2B: FEHRIBACH 1 ; ATWELL 1
RBI: REARDON 1 ; SPIVEY 1
SH: BLASUCCI 1
SF: REARDON 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SELESKY 1 ; FEHRIBACH 1 ; MOREY 1
SB: NOLL 1
CS: NOLL 1
HBP: NOLL 1
