Owls Pull off Big-Time Comeback to Split Series with No. 19 USM

Sunday, May 16

Boca Raton, Fla.

12 PM

Florida Atlantic

29-23, 18-14

Southern Miss

35-17, 22-9

Southern Miss

Florida Atlantic

Owls Pull off Big-Time Comeback to Split Series with No. 19 USM

5/16/2021 4:51:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Down 5-1 in the seventh, the Florida Atlantic University baseball team weathered a rain delay and scored the game's next eight runs to pull off a series split against No. 19 Southern Miss, wrapping both the Conference USA and 2021 home slate with Sunday's 9-6 win.

Quotable
Head Coach John McCormack:
"Wow, what a last day here for 2021. Can't tell you how proud I am of these guys. Got off to not a great start, energy wasn't great, which is ultimately my fault. Javi (Rivera) kinda slogged through it, but then the guys came back out (after the rain delay) kind of invigorated.

"Dante (Visconti) was fantastic, got us out of (the seventh), Jackson (Wenstrom) has the 'senior moment,' hits the big home run to infuse some energy and start a great inning. And Bobby (Morgensen) comes up with another senior moment, the seeing-eye groundball to give us a little bit of cushion. What a great win."

The Beginning
USM (35-17, 22-9 C-USA) scored first, with a run in the second and three in the third. But after giving up that fourth run, FAU (29-23, 18-14 C-USA) starter Javi Rivera truly settled down, retiring 11 of the next 13 he faced, with no hits in that span.

The Turning Point
Still, the Owls trailed, and as the rain came down, a bases-loaded walk made it 5-1 in the top of the seventh, just before a 30+-minute delay. When play resumed, Dante Visconti inherited three on and two out, and a 2-0 count. He pumped three straight strikes – all looking – past Will McGillis to keep it a four-run game.

USM would turn to the bullpen, and the Owls pounced. Jackson Wenstrom led off the home seventh with a homer, and Caleb Pendleton – who also came in as the game restarted – doubled. With the shift on, Wilfredo Alvarez and B.J. Murray each bunted their way on, with Murray's hit scoring Pendleton. Nolan Schanuel singled to load the bases, and Steven Loden tied it at 5-5 with a two-run single through the right side. A walk to Bobby Morgensen brought Mitchell Hartigan up, and his RBI single to center gave the Owls the lead. A USM error later in the inning would make it 7-5.

The Finish
Visconti pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, and Morgensen added on with a two-run single against a drawn-in infield, in maybe his last at-bat at FAU Baseball Stadium, in the bottom of the inning. USM got a solo shot in the ninth, but that was the only hit/baserunner Visconti allowed in picking up the win.

The Arms

Rivera did not factor into the decision, going 6 1/3. He struck out five Golden Eagles
In his second mound appearance this season, Hartigan faced three batters before the game was finally delayed, adding a K
Visconti (4-2) struck out three in his 2 1/3-inning outing, with just the one hit and one run against him

The Bats

The team totaled 14 hits, at least one from each slot in the lineup. The first eight reached in the seventh, the first six with hits, and 12 came to the plate in the frame
Murray led the way with three hits, while the trio of Schanuel, Morgensen and Hartigan each had two
For Schanuel, that marked his 23rd multi-hit game of the year, tops on the squad. Murray is next with 19, and Hartigan has 18
Schanuel also scored three times and recorded his team-leading 53rd RBI; Murray reached the 50-RBI plateau with one knocked in as well, while scoring twice
Loden and Morgensen each plated two runs
Morgensen is riding an eight-game hitting streak, tying for the longest for any Owl this season

What's Next
The Owls finish up the regular season on Tuesday night in Coral Gables, taking on Miami at 6 p.m. The 2021 Conference USA Championship bracket will be released later tonight, which will reveal the gametime for FAU's opener in Ruston, Louisiana, on Wednesday, May 26.