Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
25-13-1, 12-6
UTSA
20-18, 9-9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Atlantic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| UTSA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
Baseball Shuts Out UTSA in Sunday Finale, 10-0
4/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Mark Nowatnick and three Owls' relievers combined for a Sunday shutout of UTSA, keeping the Florida Atlantic University baseball team in a second-place tie in Conference USA following a 10-0 whitewash at Roadrunner Field.
The Turning Point
The Owls (25-13-1, 12-6 C-USA) scored twice in their first at-bat, on a two-run double by Esteban Puerta. The two pitchers - Nowatnick and CJ Pickering of UTSA - then settled into a pitcher's duel, with no bigger at-bat than with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fifth. After walking back-to-back hitters to load them, Nowatnick got Aldo Buendia to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to escape the jam and keep the slim advantage.
The Finish
FAU added four runs in the seventh and two each in the eighth and ninth to win going away. All eight of the late-inning runs came with two outs, and relievers Drew Peden, Kyle Marman and Cameron Ragsdale finished out the shutout, the Owls' first of the year, to keep pace at the top of the C-USA standings.
Notables
- Nowatnick (5-0) pitched brilliantly in his first start of the season, allowing just four hits and two walks in five-plus innings
- Peden came on after a leadoff double in the sixth, immediately picked off the baserunner at second, and then got a strikeout and foul popout to end the inning. He struck out two of three in the seventh to complete a perfect two-inning stint
- Marman threw a 1-2-3 eighth on 13 pitches, including a strikeout, and Ragsdale ended it by stranding the bases loaded in the ninth
- In the seventh, when it was still a 2-0 game, Jared Shouppe gave the Owls some much-needed breathing room on a perfect safety squeeze with two outs to plate Stephen Kerr, who had doubled earlier in the inning
- Shouppe came in on a wild pitch, and two more scored on a single up the middle by Eric Rivera
- Jordan Poore knocked in two in the eighth on a single, and an error with the bases loaded in the ninth allowed the final two runs to score
- Shouppe, Puerta and Austin Langham all had two-hit afternoons
- 10 different Owls scored a run: All nine starters plus pinch-hitter Aldrich DeJongh, who walked in the ninth
- FAU pitching notched their first shutout since April 3, 2016, also a 10-0 score, on the road at Old Dominion
- Speaking of the Monarchs, because of their Sunday road win at Southern Miss, the Owls will still stay in second alongside both ODU and Charlotte, all at 12-6 and just a game behind 13-5 USM
Quotable
"I was really pleased with how our guys came out today, there was energy and intensity," said Head Coach John McCormack. "We scored two in the top of the first to set the tone and Mark (Nowatnick) threw five scoreless. The bullpen followed Mark's lead and threw four scoreless. It seemed everyone chipped in offensively en route to the 10-0 victory."
What's Next
Four in South Florida are ahead of FAU, starting with Tuesday's matchup against FGCU in West Palm Beach at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. That will be a 6:30 p.m. start. Next weekend, the Owls will host FIU for a three-game set.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nowatnick, Mark (5-0)
L: Pickering,CJ (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Puerta, Esteban 1 ; Kerr, Stephen 1
RBI: Rivera, Eric 2 ; Puerta, Esteban 2 ; Shouppe, Jared 1 ; Poore, Jordan 2
SH: Rivera, Eric 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Frank, Tyler 1 ; Rivera, Eric 1 ; Miranda, David 1 ; DeJongh, Aldrich 1 ; Puerta, Esteban 1 ; Kerr, Stephen 1 ; Langham, Austin 1 ; Shouppe, Jared 1 ; Abraham, Kevin 1 ; Poore, Jordan 1
CS: Shouppe, Jared 1
HBP: Miranda, David 1 ; Poore, Jordan 1
Batting:
2B: Baker,Jesse 1 ; Markham,Kevin 1
Base Running:
PO: Baker,Jesse 1
