The rivalry between FAU and FIU took to the diamond over the weekend as the squads faced off for the first three of four games scheduled against each other this Spring. While the Panthers took game one, the Owls put together two solid performances taking a 2-1 series win over the weekend.
Game One
Miami
Game one was a pitchers duel starting out. Florida Atlantic’s Trey Beard put on another clinic as in his six innings pitched he allowed only one earned run, struck out 11, and walked 1 batter. On the other side of the matchup, FIU’s Easton Marks was solid for the first five innings. In the sixth, the Owls’ Jake Duer gave FAU their first hit. From there, Florida Atlantic took the lead thanks to Ayden Garcia scoring Duer, and Jake Millan getting Garcia home.
Afterwards, FIU took advantage of the Owls bullpen and put up a six-spot in the 7th. FAU scored another run in the eighth, but fell 7-3 in Miami.
Game Two
Boca Raton
The Panthers jumped ahead early in game two taking a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth. There, FAU’ Nick Romano plated two from a base hit. A Jake Millan sac-fly later and the contest was even at three apiece.
Florida International scored two runs during the sixth and seventh innings as the Owls trailed once more, 5-3. FAU responded again, thanks to a rally started by Patrick Ward. John Schroeder and Brando Leroux drew walks as Florida Atlantic loaded the bases. Then, Jake Duer came up to the plate in a two out situation and hit a line drive into center, plating two. Nick Romano followed, keeping the rally alive with an RBI single scoring the go ahead run as the Owls won 6-5.
During his start, Tyler Murphy allowed two earned runs, struck out seven, and walked three batters in his 4.2 IP. The bullpen came in nicely as closer MJ Bollinger earned a six-out save.
Game Three
Miami
The Owls got a run across early as Jake Millan plated Marshall Lipsey in the first inning. The Panthers responded with a run of their own as the contest stayed deadlocked at one until the fourth.
That is when FAU’s bats exploded putting up runs in three-straight innings. Starting off, a Dylan LaPointe double scored John Martinez and Jake Millan. The fifth inning saw Florida Atlantic’s Marshall Lipsey send one yard as FAU led 4-1. In the sixth, Senior John Schroeder also took a ball on a trip, but the Panthers matched that in the bottom half of the inning. The Owls were ahead 5-2.
FIU scored another run thanks to a homerun in the seventh. Following that, FAU’s Patrick Ward scored Schroeder in the eighth. Florida International responded in the bottom of the inning, but Bollinger came in once again and earned his second save of the series. Freshman James Litman put together a quality start as he pitched for six innings allowing only three hits and two earned runs.
Series Standouts
MJ Bollinger was crucial in relief across the series. He earned two saves, five strikeouts and produced 0 ERA in his outings during the series.
Jr. OF Jake Duer had another great weekend earning a .545 batting average, the highest among FAU’s starters, with six hits in 11 at-bats. His 2-RBI single in Game 2 was the turning-point in the Owls 6-5 win. Duer also reached base 8 times in 13 plate appearances.
Sr. John Schroeder has struggled the early part of this season. This weekend though, he stood out with 7 at-bats, 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 RBI, 1 double, and 1 home run for a .286 average during the series. His game three performance with a homer and a double, alongside his game two contributions pushed the series into the win column for the Owls.
Jr. OF Marshall Lipsey led the series with 4 runs scored, hitting a solo shot in game 1’s 7-3 loss. Lipsey also added 2 hits and 2 runs in game 3 for a .364 average during the weekend. Head Coach John McCormack’s pickup from the offseason has been a great one as Lipsey leads FAU in home runs.
Look Ahead
Florida Atlantic (12-3) will have Monday off before welcoming Bucknell for a two-game midweek series on Tuesday and Wednesday.
