BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University softball team (15-18, 3-6 C-USA) will square off against in-state foe Florida Gulf Coast (17-15, 3-3 ASUN) Wednesday for a 5/7 p.m. doubleheader. This will be the third consecutive year either team has hosted the other in a midweek doubleheader, with last year's series being hosted in Boca Raton. Live stats for game one are availableÂ
here, while stats for game two are accessibleÂ
here. There will be live video offered for both games on FGCU Softball'sÂ
YouTube page.
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Game Notes:
Series History:
Series Record: 7-4 (FAU)
These two teams met for the first time on March 8, 2008. The Owls lost three straight games against the squad before winning seven in a row. This is the third consecutive year where the two teams have faced off in a Wednesday doubleheader. Last season, the doubleheader was played at FAU Softball Stadium.
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Last Time Out:
Earlier in the season, the Owls took the 8-3 decision against the Eagles at the annual Strike Out Cancer Tournament.
Kelsey Morrison picked up her fourth win of the season,
Samantha Lageyre had three hits and three RBI,
Jolie Duffner picked up two RBI and
Madisyn Palmer,
Ashleigh Jennings and Lageyre combined for a season-high six stolen bases.
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In last year's doubleheader between the two squads, both games were taken into extra innings. FAU took the first game in nine innings with a 5-4 victory, while FGCU captured the win in eight innings in game two, 4-1.
Eyeing Florida Gulf Coast:
The Eagles finished 39-17 (12-6 Atlantic Sun) last season with the year coming to an end following a 6-3 loss in 10 innings to USC Upstate in the 2018 ASUN Tournament. Racquel Fournet (OF) and Riley Randolph (P) were First Team selections, while Taylor Baurman (P) and Farley Callaghan rounded out the All-Freshman team.
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This season, the Eagles were projected to finish second in the Preseason All-Conference Poll behind Liberty. FGCU received two first-place votes behind Liberty's five with Randolph (LHP) and Fournet (IF) clinching spots on the preseason team. FGCU has received votes in the top-25 polls twice and has picked up wins against No. 15 Indiana (3-1), No. 21 Minnesota (4-1) and a three-game sweep against Kennesaw State. Kate Kelly is leading the team with a .367 batting average, 33 hits and six RBI. Fournet, who hit her only home run of the season against the Owls last month, has racked up a .305 batting average, 32 hits and 16 RBI. Randolph has been superb in the circle, as she has been named the ASUN Pitcher of the Week three times this season with a 1.08 ERA and 158 strikeouts over 130 innings pitched.
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FAU at WKU:
FAU is coming out a tough series at WKU. After having swept the Hilltoppers in the three previous series, the Owls were unable to do it a fourth time, as WKU took all three games this time around. In game one, the Owls were able to cut the Hilltoppers' lead in half in the top of the third inning, 4-2, but a 5-run frame for WKU in the bottom of the third was hard for the Owls to bounce back from. The Owls ended up dropping game one, 10-3. A pitchers' duel took place in game two between Kennedy Sullivan and
Skylar Whitty, but the Owls were unable to inch any runs on the board, resulting in a 2-0 loss. Although the Owls got on the board first in Sunday's game, the Hilltoppers were able to run away with the victory. The Owls had a season-high five fielding errors in the game with most of those mistakes helping runs go up on the board for the Hilltoppers. WKU finished out on top, 10-2 in six innings.
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Social Media:
For live updates during Wednesday's games and for other FAU softball news, follow along on Twitter (
@fauowlssoftball), Instagram (
@Owls_softball) and Facebook.
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Up Next:
The Owls will return home to host conference rival FIU in a three-game series. Play against the Panthers will kick off on Saturday for a 4 p.m. doubleheader and will cap off with a 1 p.m. matchup on Sunday. For ticket information, visit theÂ
Ticketmaster page or call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
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