Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Friday, April 23
Miami, Fla.
7 PM
Florida Atlantic
19-18, 0
11
at
6
FIU
15-22, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Florida Atlantic
0
3
0
2
0
2
0
2
2
11
11
0
FIU
2
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
6
10
1
Photo by: JC Ridley/Owlpix.com
Owls Outslug Panthers to Take First Game of Series
4/23/2021 11:32:00 PM | Baseball
UNIVERSITY PARK, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University baseball had five multi-run innings to back up Hunter Cooley's quality start, opening the weekend Conference USA series up against FIU with an 11-6 win.
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Quotable
Head Coach John McCormack:
"I thought the guys played really well. (Hunter) Cooley gave up the two early and then really settled down and pitched a nice game. Guys made the plays behind him, and then offensively, the three-spot in the second was huge. We were able to tack on a few more here and there, and it was a really good team win. The guys played well."
The Beginning
FIU (15-22, 6-11 C-USA) got on the board first, with a leadoff home run and steal of home in the first. But FAU (19-18, 8-9 C-USA) took the lead for good with three in the second, on a Caleb Pendleton run-scoring single, Steven Loden's RBI groundout, and a two-out single by Wilfredo Alvarez.
The Turning Point
Every even inning meant multiple runs for the Owls. The fourth was courtesy of doubles by Mitchell Hartigan and Loden, then another two-out baseknock by Alvarez; the sixth a Loden solo homer and a run scoring on a wild pitch; and the eighth a two-run no-doubt shot by Pendleton. Meanwhile, after the two runs and three hits against him in the first, Cooley scattered just a run on four hits in his remaining six innings.
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The Finish
FIU scored once in the eighth and had the bases loaded with two outs, but Mike Entenza was called upon, and he immediately induced a key flyout to strand three. A titanic blast by Bobby Morgensen provided two runs of insurance in the ninth, and though the Panthers got two in their half, that's the closest they'd get, with three more left on.
The Arms
The Owls and Panthers next meet for a doubleheader, two seven-inning games, beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday.
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Quotable
Head Coach John McCormack:
"I thought the guys played really well. (Hunter) Cooley gave up the two early and then really settled down and pitched a nice game. Guys made the plays behind him, and then offensively, the three-spot in the second was huge. We were able to tack on a few more here and there, and it was a really good team win. The guys played well."
The Beginning
FIU (15-22, 6-11 C-USA) got on the board first, with a leadoff home run and steal of home in the first. But FAU (19-18, 8-9 C-USA) took the lead for good with three in the second, on a Caleb Pendleton run-scoring single, Steven Loden's RBI groundout, and a two-out single by Wilfredo Alvarez.
The Turning Point
Every even inning meant multiple runs for the Owls. The fourth was courtesy of doubles by Mitchell Hartigan and Loden, then another two-out baseknock by Alvarez; the sixth a Loden solo homer and a run scoring on a wild pitch; and the eighth a two-run no-doubt shot by Pendleton. Meanwhile, after the two runs and three hits against him in the first, Cooley scattered just a run on four hits in his remaining six innings.
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The Finish
FIU scored once in the eighth and had the bases loaded with two outs, but Mike Entenza was called upon, and he immediately induced a key flyout to strand three. A titanic blast by Bobby Morgensen provided two runs of insurance in the ninth, and though the Panthers got two in their half, that's the closest they'd get, with three more left on.
The Arms
- Cooley (5-3) struck out a career-high seven in earning the win
- Friday marked the fourth time in his six starts this season that he has pitched at least seven innings
- Entenza closed out the eighth and Dylan O'Connell the ninth
- The 6-9 hitters in the Owls' lineup – Hartigan, Pendleton, Loden and Jalen DeBose – had seven hits, reached 10 times, and had a combined seven runs scored and six RBI
- Hartigan was 2-for-5 with two runs scored
- Pendleton knocked in three as part of a 2-for-4 night, scoring twice as well
- Loden had his first career three-hit game, going 3-for-5, a career-high three RBI and came across two times
- DeBose walked twice, had two stolen bases and scored once
- Alvarez and Morgensen had two hits, and two RBI, apiece as well
- The home runs were Morgensen's seventh, Pendleton's fifth and Loden's second
The Owls and Panthers next meet for a doubleheader, two seven-inning games, beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cooley, Hunter (5-3)
L: Myrick, T (6-2)
Batting:
2B: Hartigan, Mitchell 1 ; Loden, Steven 1
HR: Morgensen, Bobby 1 ; Pendleton, Caleb 1 ; Loden, Steven 1
RBI: Alvarez, Wilfredo 2 ; Morgensen, Bobby 2 ; Pendleton, Caleb 3 ; Loden, Steven 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Schanuel, Nolan 1 ; Morgensen, Bobby 2 ; Toney, Nicholas 1 ; Hartigan, Mitchell 2 ; Pendleton, Caleb 2 ; Loden, Steven 2 ; DeBose, Jalen 1
SB: DeBose, Jalen 2
HBP: Pendleton, Caleb 1
Batting:
2B: Sanchez, A 1 ; Figueroa, A 1
HR: Cartaya, D 1
RBI: Cartaya, D 1 ; Figueroa, A 2 ; Farmer, J 2
SH: Girardi, D 1
SF: Farmer, J 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cartaya, D 2 ; Sanchez, A 3 ; Rozenblum, B 1
SB: Sanchez, A 1 ; Figueroa, A 1
HBP: Cannady, S 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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LHP
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OF
/ Baseball
RHP
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/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
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