Published On: Sat, Apr 14th, 2012

Lynn Baseball Falls to FAU on Bases Loaded Walk-Off

By: Chad Beattie

In the battle of Boca Raton schools, Lynn University’s baseball team fell on a bases loaded walk-off single to Florida Atlantic University 3-2 Tuesday night.  Anthony Boza went 2-for-4 with an RBI double while Kentrail Pierce stuck out four batters in six innings of work.  The Fighting Knights drop to 21-11 overall.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth knotted at two, Jerad Harvey came into the contest but proceeded to give up a single and walk a batter on five pitches.  Austin Bailey entered with a difficult task but was aided by a poor sacrifice bunt from Mike Spano for the first out.  A flyout by Geoff Jimenez gave LU hope of sending the game into extra innings but a walk to load the bases brought tensions to a head.

Mitch Moreales, 0-for-2 up until the ninth, battled from down in the count to knock a 1-2 pitch over Boza’s head for the game-winner in the 17th meeting between Lynn and Florida Atlantic.  FAU holds the 14-3 all-time series lead.

Pierce was stellar on the mound against the 30th-ranked Owls.  The right-hander fanned four and allowed just three hits and one run.  His lone mistake on the evening came in the first when he surrendered consecutive doubles to Corey Keller and Mark Nelson allowing FAU to grab the early 1-0 lead.

The Fighting Knights were able to tie and later take a 2-1 lead in the third frame by taking advantage of a pair of errors by center fielder Geoff Jimenez.  Kyle Radzewski led off the inning with his seventh double of the year and was able to score when Jimenez dropped a fly ball from Austin Smith and send the ensuing throw into the third base dugout.  Anthony Boza then put the Blue & White ahead with his team-leading 13th double of the year down the left field line.

Pierce retired 15 of the next 16 batters before departing in the seventh in favor of Joe Perrotta.  Unfortunately for LU, Perrotta let in the tying run on a RBI single from Kyle Newton after hitting Keller to start the inning.  The Owls were poised to take the lead but Andre Colon struck out pinch hitter Ricky Santiago to keep the game knotted at two.

Another lead-off free pass looked as though it would doom the Fighting Knights in the bottom of the eighth but Colon fanned Nathan Pittman and forced the hot-hitting Keller to fly out weakly to right field, ending the inning.

Lynn returns to the diamond on Friday, April 6, at 3 p.m. when it hosts Florida Tech in the first of a three-game series.

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