After FAU softball lost their first series of the season 2 weekends ago against North Texas, they wasted no time bouncing back this weekend against East Carolina. The Owls closed that North Texas series on a high note and that carried into this past weekend’s series against ECU, as the Owls swept the pirates and outscored them 18-5 in the process.
It was a bounce back performance at the plate for FAU, as after they run-ruled North Texas 8-0 to avoid the sweep last weekend, they had no shortage of offense in Greenville this weekend. The Owls have been a resilient squad all season and this series was no different, as they put the series loss to North Texas in the rear-view mirror and maintained first place in the AAC.
It was an important series sweep for the Owls, as with only two series remaining in the regular season there were limited opportunities to regain their mojo at the plate, however they capitalized in their first chance. Now they will look to keep that rolling in their final home series of the regular season as FAU welcomes Memphis to town with a chance for the Owls to build on their 4 game win streak.
Before we move onto Memphis, here are some takeaways from FAU’s sweep over ECU, as well as a glimpse at the Tigers.
Owls get production at the plate across the board
The Owls’ onslaught at the plate started in their last series against North Texas, as they closed out that series with an 8-0 victory that carried over into this one. Overall this weekend, the Owls finished with 3 players batting over .400 in Jesiana Mora, Ciara Gibson and Kiley Shelton and 7 Owls batting .300 or better, getting a diverse effort at the dish which ECU had no answer for.
It started right away in game one, as the Owls knocked off ECU 7-1, recording 11 hits on the day, including 3 home runs and getting multi-hit performances from Kylie Hammonds and Jesiana Mora. Chloe Yeatts started the home run barrage for the Owls, connecting on her 7th home run of the season to give FAU a 3-1 lead in the 3rd inning, while Yani Guzman followed her up in the 4th with a solo shot to make it 4-0 and after a Ciara Gibson sac fly made it 5-0 in the 5th, Kylie Hammonds connected on a 2 run shot in the 6th, which gave us our final score of 7-1.
Although things slowed down slightly at the plate in game 2, the Owls got all that they needed in a 3-2 victory. FAU jumped out to a 3-0 lead after just a second inning in game 2, with Ciara Gibson lacing a 2-RBI double to score Kiley Channell and Destiny Johns in the first and Channell getting an RBI single of her own to make it 3-0 Owls in the second and that ended up being all the production the Owls needed on the day.
Finally the bats broke out once again in an 8-2 victory in game 3, with FAU recording 12 hits on the day, including 4 multi-hit performances, with Jesiana Mora going for 3 hits of her own on the day. Things started right away, with Yeatts and Gibson each recording RBI singles to give FAU a 2-0 lead after one and Jesiana Mora ripped a 2 RBI single to make it 4-0 Owls after the second. The Owls went for 2 more in the third, with Bella Cimino connecting on a solo shot to make it 5-0 and Kiley Channell scored Kiley Shelton on a sac fly to make it 6-0 after 3 and after that the Owls picked up a run in each of the 4th and 5th innings, with Yeatts and Gibson both connecting on another RBI single.
It was a dominating day at the plate overall for FAU, as Jesiana Mora had 6 hits and a pair of RBIs, Chloe Yeatts had 3 hits with 4 RBIs, and Ciara Gibson had 4 hits with 5 RBIs, giving the Owls production at the top and bottom of the order. If this squad can continue to get production 1-9 in the lineup, that will give them the best chance at not only winning the AAC, but also making a run in the regional afterwards.
Bats steal the show, but pitching staff led by Autumn Courtney keeps the Pirates at bay
Although it was the bats that led to some lopsided scores in Greenville this weekend, they potentially wouldn’t have been able to maintain those leads without the efforts of Autumn Courtney, Jaden Martinez and Ainsley Lambert.
It was the Courtney show right away in game one, as although ECU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, she never wavered and once the Owls grabbed a 3-1 lead in the 3rd inning, Courtney was smooth sailing from there. Courtney did not allow a hit after the second inning, not even allowing another base runner until the 6th and finishing the day with a complete game, allowing just 2 hits and the one run, while striking out 4 and walking 3, moving her record on the year to 19-2.
In game 2, the Owls needed the efforts of Jaden Martinez and Ainsley Lambert to hold it down in a close game and that is exactly what they got. Martinez started and was efficient in the circle, allowing just a pair of singles through the first 3 innings while striking out 5 pirates and although after an error ECU struck for 2 runs in the 4th, that was all they would get and Martinez would exit after 4 innings maintaining a 3-2 lead, striking out 6 while walking none and allowing 2 unearned runs on 4 hits. In a one run game in the 5th inning the Owls called on their lights out closer in Ainsley Lambert for a 3 inning save and she delivered, allowing just one hit over the final 3 innings while striking out a pair of pirates and going on to pick up her 9th save of the year in a 3-2 win.
With a chance to clinch a sweep of ECU in game 3 the Owls went Courtney once again and she did what she does, allowing just 4 hits, while striking out 10 and walking none on the day and although she gave up a pair of earned runs, the Owls bats provided the pop in an 8-2 victory, sealing the deal for Courtney’s 20th win of the season.
A lot of the focus this weekend went towards the bats and rightly so, however the pitching staff was equally as dominant and that has been the case all season long. On the year, Courtney is 20-2 with a 1.88 ERA, striking out 139 batters while walking just 43 and for Jaden Martinez, she picked up her 5th win of the season in game 2, moving her record to 5-4, also boasting a 2.74 ERA with 55 strikeouts to just 28 walks. Keeping it all together in the late innings is Ainsley Lambert, who has 9 saves on the year and leads the team with a 1.78 ERA, striking out 39 to just 10 walks.
The 3rd ace of the Owls trio in Gabby Sacco did not pitch this weekend, however the Owls will look to get consistent efforts like they got this weekend from their bullpen and rotation in the postseason and if they can get that, they will be in a good position.
Just 2 series remain in the regular season:
Softball season has flown by and for the Owls, they have just 2 regular season series remaining before heading off to Tampa for the AAC postseason tournament. First up will be their final home series of the season against Memphis this weekend and then the Owls will head to Tulsa for a 3 game set to close out the year.
Memphis has struggled this season, currently at the bottom of the AAC with a 16-30 record and they are currently on an 11 game losing streak in AAC play, with just a 4-17 record overall on the year. Hitting hasn’t been the issue for Memphis, as they have 5 tigers batting over .300 and they are led by Zoe Adebayo, who sports a .310 batting average with 9 home runs and 31 RBIs. Pitching however has been the issue for Memphis, as all 4 of their pitchers this season have an ERA above 4, with their ace Lyrical Bennett checking in with a 5-10 record and 4.66 ERA.
Tulsa has also struggled this season, currently 19-26 overall on the year and 7-14 during AAC play. Although the Owls can’t look past Memphis or Tulsa, these two series are winnable and present an opportunity for FAU to seal the deal and clinch the AAC regular season title out-right, something they will be looking forward to doing after sharing it with Charlotte a season ago.
The Owls will open their final home series of the regular season Friday night at 6:00 PM, with the game airing on ESPN+.