Baseball Topped in C-USA Title Game; NCAA Regional Announcement Monday

Sunday, May 26

Biloxi, Miss.

2:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

Southern Miss

Baseball Topped in C-USA Title Game; NCAA Regional Announcement Monday

5/26/2019 6:19:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

BILOXI, Miss. – No. 29 Florida Atlantic University baseball's run at the Conference USA Championship came to an end in the title game, as the Owls were shut out by Southern Miss, 4-0, on Sunday. FAU (40-19) will now turn its attention to the NCAA Selection Show, Monday at noon, to learn its further postseason fate.

Quotable

Head Coach John McCormack:
"The difference was the beginning of the game. We had bases loaded, one out, we weren't able to convert. (Southern Miss) was able to convert, so congratulations to them. We've got to be better, we had some opportunities. Our thing is, we gotta score runs and we weren't able to do it, but credit to USM's pitchers, they did a great job."

Full Opening Statement from Coach Mac

The Turning Point
In the opening frame, the Owls loaded the bases with one out, but a USM (38-19) double play snuffed out the threat. The Golden Eagles immediately scored a run in their next turn, and two more in the third, for a 3-0 lead.

The Finish
For the Owls' offense, the pattern continued, with runners on in every inning but the fifth, and all stranded. USM added an insurance run in the seventh to make it a four-run spread. It could have been five, but to wrap the ninth, Eric Rivera threw out Danny Lynch trying to score from second on a perfect no-hop throw from center. In the final FAU at-bat, with one out, pinch-hitter Jared DeSantolo singled to center, followed by a double to right by Wilfredo Alvarez. But a strikeout and groundout sealed the win for the Golden Eagles.

The Arms

Starter Eric Keating (1-1) took the loss, pitching into the third, before giving way to VInce Coletti
Inheriting bases loaded and no one out, Coletti induced two groundouts, one scoring a run. His final line was four no-hit innings with three strikeouts
After hitting a batter to start the seventh and that runner reaching second on a sac bunt, Coletti came out. That eventual insurance run would go on his ledger
Dylan O'Connell finished it out with 2 2/3 innings, throwing scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth

The Bats

The Owls had 10 hits and stranded 11 runners
The top two hitters in the lineup, Eric Rivera and Andru Summerall, each had two hits
Francisco Urbaez was on twice also, on a hit and a walk
Alvarez's ninth-inning double was the team's only extra base hit

All-Tournament
Named to the week's All-Tournament squad for the Owls were Urbaez, Pedro Pages, Mike Ruff and Nick Swan.

What's Next

The NCAA Selection Show will be live on ESPNU, or WatchESPN, at noon on Monday, and will reveal the 64 teams selected for 16 nationwide regional sites. The Owls hope to be one of 33 teams to receive an at-large bid.