FAU Baseball Beats Marshall 17-3
The Florida Atlantic University baseball team posted 21 hits on Sunday in its 17-3 rout of Marshall in the third game of the Conference USA series. FAU’s 21 hits is the most in a game this season and is the most since the Owls put up 21 hits against Troy in April, 2011.
Marshall (11-18, 7-7 C-USA) got on the board first with a walk, stolen base and an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.
The Owls (17-14, 5-10 C-USA) took a 2-1 lead with four hits in the second inning, including back-to-back RBI singles by Robert Buckley and Jose Bonilla Traverso, but left the bases loaded after consecutive strikeouts. The Herd responded on back-to-back hits with two outs in the second to tie the game a two runs apiece.
Seven Owls reached base in the top of the third to bring three runs across the plate. Buckley drew a bases loaded walk and Bonilla Traverso and Stephen Kerr each knocked in runs with singles.
Esteban Puerta hit his second home run of the season in the fourth to increase the FAU lead to 6-2. Buckley picked up his third RBI of the game in the sixth, driving in CJ Chatham who reached on an error to open the frame.
Marshall would score its final run in the bottom of the sixth after a hit batter and an RBI double by TJ Diffenderfer.
After Kerr and Brendon Sanger reached to open the seventh, Santiago and Puerta hit back-to-back RBI singles to give the Owls an 8-3 advantage.
Freshman Brad Myott drew his third walk of the game to lead off the eighth inning in his first career game. After Billy Endris walked, a Marshall error on a fly ball by Kerr scored Myott from second. Sanger hit a double down the left field line to pick up his second and third RBI of the day to increase the lead to 11-2.
The Owls closed out the game with five runs on five hits in the ninth, including doubles by Chatham and Endris and a pinch-hit, two RBI triple by Reid Neal. Cain Spangler hit a pinch-hit, RBI single with two outs to become the ninth FAU player to drive in a run in the game.
Drew Jackson earned his fourth win of the season, striking out five and allowing three runs in his six innings of work.
Sanger went 3-for-6 with three RBI while Kerr went 3-for-6 with three runs and a RBI. Puerta went 3-for-4 on the day with three runs, two RBI and a walk.
