Owls’ Season Ends on Day Three of C-USA Tournament

Florida Atlantic baseball saw a 6-0 lead evaporate on Friday night as Western Kentucky came back to win 9-7. The loss eliminated the Owls from the Conference USA tournament and ended the 2023 season with a record of 34-25.

Armando Albert led off the game with a triple and Jackson Ross followed with a two-run homer to put the Owls in front out of the gate. Two more came across in the fourth when Mitchell Hartigan singled to right with the bases loaded. In the fifth inning, Dylan Goldstein led off with a solo home run and later, Hartigan picked up his third RBI of the night with a run-scoring double.

On the other side of the rubber, Jacob Josey was dominant in his first start since May 6. The senior held the Hilltoppers in check for seven innings. He departed after seven having thrown 83 pitches.

The FAU bullpen could not finish what Josey started. With a 6-2 lead, Nicholas Del Prado walked the first two batters in the eighth inning. Robert Wegielnik entered and, after striking out his first batter, conceded back-to-back singles, a hit by pitch, and a walk.

With the six-run lead now down to 6-5, Sam Drumheller relieved Wegielnik. He also struck out the first batter he faced. Drumheller was one pitch away from getting out of the inning with a lead still intact but on a ground ball to second, Christian Adams throw to first base eluded Nolan Schanuel. The ball went out of play allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to score. Another two-RBI single followed. The total damage was a seven-run inning for WKU.

Now trailing 9-6 and down to their final three outs, the Owls needed a miraculous comeback of their own. Schanuel was hit by a pitch to start the ninth. He would later score when Spencer Rich doubled to the gap in left center. The hopes of a rally ended there, however, when WKU closer C.J. Weins struck out Hartigan.

This was the final game for Florida Atlantic as a member of Conference USA. The Owls will move into the American Athletic Conference in 2024