Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
2-0
UCF
0-2
Pendleton Makes History in Slugfest Win over UCF
2/21/2021 1:17:00 AM | Baseball
Quotable
Head Coach John McCormack:
"I don't know what to say. Caleb was amazing … (but) it's no secret we've just got to pitch better. Adrien Reese did a really nice job, he kept his composure and kept throwing strikes and we eventually came away with the win."
On Pendleton:
"Unbelievable, I've never seen it. You'd have to look at some record books. He hit the first one, then it lines up and the guys were talking about. Bobby Morgensen was sitting next to me and says, 'this is not really gonna happen again,' and sure enough it happened. And it turns out that we needed (the runs)."
Pendleton on Pendleton:
The Beginning
UCF (0-2) scored first, with two in the top half of the second, but the Owls (2-0) sent 16 batters to the plate in the bottom half, scoring 12. Sandwiched in between Pendleton's two blasts was fellow freshman Nolan Schanuel's first college home run, a titanic two-run shot.
The Turning Point
The Owls added five more in the fourth, including a bases-clearing three-run double by Bobby Morgensen, to lead 17-3. UCF chipped away with eight unanswered runs, however, to cut the deficit to six – 17-11 – heading into the seventh inning stretch.
The Finish
The Knights were threatening once more in the eighth, but Pendleton showed he has more than just a hot bat, throwing out a baserunner from his crouch on the back end of an inning-ending double play. At that point, Adrien Reese was in the midst of stopping UCF's run, as he got all three outs in the seventh, plus a scoreless eighth. In the home eighth, BJ Murray added a two-run homer as part of three insurance runs, and though UCF scored four in the ninth, Reese got a popout and strikeout to end it.
The Arms
- Javi Rivera started for the Owls and struck out five batters in 4 1/3 innings
- Reese (1-0) picked up the win in his three-inning game-ending stint, and had five K's as well
- Pendleton's eight RBI was one short of the program single-game record
- The 15-hit attack was led by Morgensen's four hits, three from Mitchell Hartigan, and two apiece by Murray, Schanuel and Pendleton
- After Pendleton's eight RBI, Murray had four and Morgensen three
- Murray, Schanuel, Jared DeSantolo and Steven Loden all scored three runs
- The Owls' 20 runs scored is the most scored in the McCormack era (2009 until now), and the most since a 20-3 win over Arkansas State on May 10, 2008
The finale against UCF is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon at FAU Baseball Stadium. The game is sold out, but will be streamed live on CUSA.TV.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Reese, Adrien (1-0)
L: H Patteson (0-1)
Batting:
2B: T Josten 1 ; B McCabe 2 ; J Montes 1
HR: G Pena 1 ; B McCabe 1 ; A Freeland 1 ; M Archer 1
RBI: G Pena 1 ; J Rathbone 1 ; B McCabe 8 ; A Freeland 1 ; M Archer 4
SF: J Rathbone 1
Base Running:
RUNS: G Pena 2 ; N Romano 2 ; J Rathbone 2 ; J Crouch 3 ; B McCabe 2 ; J Montes 1 ; A Freeland 2 ; M Archer 1
CS: T Josten 1 ; A Freeland 1
HBP: J Rathbone 2
Batting:
2B: Murray, B.J. 1 ; Schanuel, Nolan 1 ; Morgensen, Bobby 1 ; Hartigan, Mitchell 2
HR: Murray, B.J. 1 ; Schanuel, Nolan 1 ; Pendleton, Caleb 2
RBI: Murray, B.J. 4 ; Schanuel, Nolan 2 ; Morgensen, Bobby 3 ; Hartigan, Mitchell 2 ; Pendleton, Caleb 8
SF: Hartigan, Mitchell 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Alvarez, Wilfredo 1 ; Murray, B.J. 3 ; Schanuel, Nolan 3 ; Morgensen, Bobby 1 ; Hartigan, Mitchell 2 ; DeSantolo, Jared 3 ; Loden, Steven 3 ; Pendleton, Caleb 2 ; Wenstrom, Jackson 2
HBP: Loden, Steven 1 ; Parker, Cade 1 ; Wenstrom, Jackson 1
