Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Sunday, March 7
Boca Raton, Fla.
2 PM
Florida Atlantic
8-2
14
vs
9
Florida Gulf Coast
7-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
FGCU
0
0
0
0
0
1
5
3
0
9
9
3
Florida Atlantic
6
2
1
0
4
0
0
1
X
14
14
1
Photo by: Jim Rassol/Owlpix.com
No. 21 Owls Wrap Weekend with Win over FGCU
3/7/2021 8:06:00 PM | Baseball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 21 Florida Atlantic University baseball team gained a split in what ended up being a two-game set against Florida Gulf Coast, using 13 unanswered runs early to defeat the Eagles, 14-9, on Sunday afternoon.
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"I was happy we hung in and won, the offense carries the day and we made the plays defensively. Hunter Cooley does it again. We beat a good team today, a bounce-back win that we needed."
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The Beginning / The Turning Point
The Owls (8-2) scored six runs in the first, forcing the FGCU (7-3) starter to the dugout without recording an out. Nolan Schanuel, Cade Parker and Wilfredo Alvarez – in his second at-bat of the inning – each recorded RBI singles, two came across on bases-loaded walks, and Sam Low had a sacrifice fly.
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The Turning Point
A B.J. Murray home run in the second and Schanuel sac fly in the third extended the FAU lead to 9-0. Then, with two outs in the fifth, Low snuck a long flyball over the leftfield fence, with the bases loaded, for the Owls' third grand slam of the season and a 13-0 advantage.
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The Finish
FGCU didn't go away; in fact, the Eagles scored the next nine runs, spanning the sixth through the eighth. But after a solo home run in that latter inning made it a four-run game, Hunter Cooley got two quick strikeouts, and after a single, a groundout to cap the frame. FAU added an eighth-inning run off a wild pitch, and Cooley needed just 11 pitches for a 1-2-3 ninth, with a three-pitch strikeout to end it.
Highlights
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The Arms
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Quotable
Head Coach John McCormack:"I was happy we hung in and won, the offense carries the day and we made the plays defensively. Hunter Cooley does it again. We beat a good team today, a bounce-back win that we needed."
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The Beginning / The Turning Point
The Owls (8-2) scored six runs in the first, forcing the FGCU (7-3) starter to the dugout without recording an out. Nolan Schanuel, Cade Parker and Wilfredo Alvarez – in his second at-bat of the inning – each recorded RBI singles, two came across on bases-loaded walks, and Sam Low had a sacrifice fly.
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The Turning Point
A B.J. Murray home run in the second and Schanuel sac fly in the third extended the FAU lead to 9-0. Then, with two outs in the fifth, Low snuck a long flyball over the leftfield fence, with the bases loaded, for the Owls' third grand slam of the season and a 13-0 advantage.
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The Finish
FGCU didn't go away; in fact, the Eagles scored the next nine runs, spanning the sixth through the eighth. But after a solo home run in that latter inning made it a four-run game, Hunter Cooley got two quick strikeouts, and after a single, a groundout to cap the frame. FAU added an eighth-inning run off a wild pitch, and Cooley needed just 11 pitches for a 1-2-3 ninth, with a three-pitch strikeout to end it.
Highlights
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The Arms
- Javi Rivera (1-0) threw a planned two-inning start, allowing just a wind-aided hit and no runs, with two strikeouts
- Matt Sparling was scoreless in his first three innings of work and allowed just a lone run in the sixth. His line after four frames was two hits, a run and two K's
- Cooley punched out three and needed just 23 pitches for the final six outs
- Low had two singles before his grand slam, and a triple after, for a 4-for-4 afternoon. He drove in five, and the home run was the first of his FAU career
- Murray reached four times as well, with his third 2021 home run, a single, and two walks. He scored three times and had three RBI
- He now has a current reached-base streak of 13 games dating back to last season
- Alvarez was on base five times out of the leadoff slot (double-single-walk-single-walk), scored twice and knocked in one
- Schanuel had two RBI to add on to his team-leading total, with 17, while also scoring two runs. He has been on base in all 10 games of his FAU career
- Jalen DeBose had a double, the first extra base hit of his young career
- The Owls had the leadoff batter get on base each of the first six frames
- Every Owl that started reached base, all but one scored a run, and all but one had a hit
What's Next
FAU next travels to Coral Gables for a Tuesday night matchup against Miami. This upcoming weekend, the Owls host Indiana State, but for a Thursday night-Friday night-Saturday afternoon series (6:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively). Get tickets now by going to FAU's baseball tickets website or by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS.Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rivera, Javi (1-0)
L: MILLER, Mason (0-1)
Batting:
2B: ELLIS, Brian 1 ; GARCIA, Richie 1
HR: KINKER, Joe 1 ; KRZEMINSKI, Cam 1 ; MACHADO, Kyle 1
RBI: ELLIS, Brian 2 ; KINKER, Joe 3 ; RODRIGUEZ, Alejandro 1 ; KRZEMINSKI, Cam 2 ; MACHADO, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: ELLIS, Brian 1 ; GARCIA, Richie 2 ; KINKER, Joe 1 ; COFFERS, Marc 1 ; KRZEMINSKI, Cam 2 ; MACHADO, Kyle 1 ; TOWNSEND, Jalen 1
Batting:
2B: Alvarez, Wilfredo 1 ; DeBose, Jalen 1
3B: Low, Sam 1
HR: Murray, B.J. 1 ; Low, Sam 1
RBI: Alvarez, Wilfredo 1 ; Schanuel, Nolan 2 ; Murray, B.J. 3 ; Pendleton, Caleb 1 ; Low, Sam 5 ; Parker, Cade 1
SF: Schanuel, Nolan 1 ; Low, Sam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Alvarez, Wilfredo 2 ; DeBose, Jalen 1 ; Schanuel, Nolan 2 ; Hartigan, Mitchell 2 ; Murray, B.J. 3 ; Pendleton, Caleb 2 ; Wenstrom, Jackson 1 ; Low, Sam 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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LHP
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INF/OF
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RHP
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INF/OF
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LHP
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