Owls Topped in the 11th by USF

Sunday, March 21

Tampa, Fla.

1 PM

Florida Atlantic

10-8

USF

9-8

Florida Atlantic

South Florida

Photo by: Jim Rassol/Owlpix.com

3/21/2021 5:09:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

TAMPA, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University baseball tied it in the ninth, but a USF home run in the 11th pushed the Bulls past the Owls on Sunday afternoon, 6-5.

Quotable
Head Coach John McCormack:
"Tough loss, but proud of the guys in how they just kept charging. We need to be able to close out a game when we have the chance. But it was a good baseball game, and if you play long enough, those things will happen. We will be back at it Tuesday at home."

The Beginning
FAU (10-8) scored in their first at-bat, on a two-out Mitchell Hartigan double off the very top of the wall in right-center. USF (9-8) tied it by scoring on a wild pitch in the second, and the middle innings very much became a pitcher's duel, with Javi Rivera and Collin Sullivan battling it out. Rivera allowed just one unearned run, and while Sullivan struck out 10, he gave up a go-ahead run in his final inning, on Caleb Pendleton's home run in the sixth.

The Turning Point
Fellow freshman Nolan Schanuel made it 3-1 in the eighth with another solo shot, but the big blow came in the bottom, when a bases-loaded triple by the Bulls scored three to turn a 3-2 FAU lead into a 5-3 deficit.

The Finish
In the Owls' ninth, Steven Loden singled up the middle with one out, and after a four-pitch walk to B.J. Murray, Jackson Wenstrom doubled to right to make it a one-run game. Wilfredo Alvarez hit a hard grounder with the infield in, gloved by the USF first baseman, but pinch-runner Cade Parker scored to tie things up.

After each team went down in order in the 10th, the game-winner came from the Bulls' leadoff batter in the 11th.

The Arms

Rivera threw 5 2/3 innings of four-hit ball, with three strikeouts
Dylan O'Connell got a big out to end the sixth, and Jackson Spiller threw up a zero in the seventh
In the bottom of the ninth, Mike Entenza threw a 1-2-3 frame
Dante Visconti (0-1) took the loss after pitching a scoreless 10th

The Bats

The freshman combo of Pendleton and Schanuel each their fourth home runs
Pendleton added a single; Hartigan also had a two-hit day, a single and a double

What's Next
A five-game homestand starts Tuesday for the Owls, hosting Miami at 6:30 p.m. that night. The weekend marks the start of Conference USA play, hosting Marshall for four games in three days, starting Friday. Tickets for the Marshall series can be had by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS or by logging on to FAU's baseball tickets website.