BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University softball belted two home runs in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three, but the late game outburst was not enough for the Owls (7-20, 2-2 C-USA). who suffered a 7-4 loss to in-state and Conference USA rival FIU (10-15, 2-2 C-USA).
"I was actually a little apprehensive coming into this game because of the way the wind was blowing," said
Joan Joyce, FAU's head coach. "I was worried about three of their kids who have good swings and are good hitters. I thought with the way the wind was blowing, we had to keep the ball down. We didn't. [We] made a couple of bad pitches. [We] gave up a few home runs…and some of the things that transpired during the game kinda ticked our kids off and then they came alive."
FIU used small ball in the top of the second to plate the game's first run and took advantage of a howling wind to add two more runs for a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third. FAU's senior shortstop
Gretchen Ebert got on base via a fielding error and moved to third on a single by freshman centerfielder
Kaitlyn Cunningham, who was 3-for-4 on the night. With runners on first and second, senior catcher
Kaitlyn Burke hit a sac fly to right scoring Ebert and pulling the Owls within two, at 3-1.
FIU got the run back in the top of the fourth before their bats went silent for the fifth and sixth. They were awoken in the seventh inning which produced a combined six runs between the two teams.
The Owls went into the bottom of the seventh down 7-1. Freshman first baseman
Zoey Jones led off the final frame with her second homer of the season and second of the series. One out later,
Sara Berthiaume hit a double to left. Following another out, Burke would tally her second and third RBI of the night with a homer to left, pulling FAU within three at 7-4, which would be the game's final.
- Once again, the Owls' offense was generated from the top of the order. Sophomore leadoff hitter Berthiaume was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a double
- Cunningham followed and was 3-for-4
- Burke, the hero of the day was 1-for-3, with the two-run homer and a sac fly
- Lynn Gardner and Jones recorded the Owls' final two hits; Jones' hit was a homer
- Abigail Morgan started the game for the Owls, pitching the first three innings, giving up four hits and three runs, all earned, to take the loss
- Morgan gave way to Gardner, who pitched 19.2 innings in the FIU four-game series
- Gardner scattered seven hits and was charged with four earned runs while recording four strikeouts
The Owls will play host to a four-game C-USA series featuring Charlotte beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 9. The two teams will then play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 10 starting at 4 p.m. and will wrap up the weekend series on Sunday, April 11, starting at 1 p.m. To follow the team socially, visit @fausoftball or for the most up-to-date information go to
www.fausports.com.