March 27, 2009

Final Stats

BOCA RATON, FL - Florida Atlantic University won the opening game of a pivotal Sun Belt Conference series with visiting University of Louisiana-Monroe 5-4 Friday night. Palm Beach Central alumnus Mike Gipson pitched seven strong innings and the Owls offense generated 11 hits, three by senior Travis Ozga.

Florida Atlantic (15-7; 4-5 Sun Belt) improves to 12-4 on its home field at FAU Stadium. Ozga and senior classmate William Block each had timely RBI hits during a four-run FAU fourth inning which gave the Owls a lead they would not relinquish.

Louisiana-Monroe (13-11; 4-6 Sun Belt) had cut a 5-2 deficit down to a run in the eighth but were denied by sophomore Glen Troyanowski in the ninth. The Warhawks had won three-straight.

The first of two hits from Troy Bubley was a skied down the line in left field, a solo homerun which opened up the scoring in the bottom of the third.

With Gipson working in the fourth, a two-out ULM rally capped by a two-RBI double off the bat of Nick Wade, briefly gave ULM a 2-1 lead.

FAU responded by loading up the bases in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of first-pitch singles and a walk off ULM lefty starter Keith Christensen (1-2). With eight batters seeing just 18 pitches FAU would score four times in the inning, capped by Block's eighth double and a two-out single by Ozga.

Gipson (2-2) pitched effectively through seven complete innings, allowing just two runs and striking out three.

The FAU lead was three, 5-2, in the top of the seventh, when Gipson got the projected Sun Belt Conference "Player of the Year" Ben Soignier to line into a rally-killing double play.

ULM pushed across two in the eighth and put the tying run on base in the ninth. Troyanowksi countered by punching-out Matt Collins with one out and ended the game by striking out Matt Laird. It was Troyanowski's second save, both of which have come via the strikeout.

GAME NOTES: A 20 MPH wind was blowing in from center field... FAU batted a lineup which had eight of nine starters batting above .300... For the 10th time this season 2B William Block (.288 BA) was hit by a pitch... Block - a senior from nearby Pembroke Pines - moved into a tie for 3rd in career doubles (47) at FAU and 6th in all-time hits (243)... For the 14th time in 22 games the FAU offense generated 10 or more hits... Matt Collins' K in the ninth ended his eight-game hitting streak.

UPDATED SUN BELT CONFERENCE STANDINGS:
Middle Tennessee 8-1
Western Kentucky 8-1
Florida International 5-2
Arkansas State 5-5
Florida Atlantic 4-5
Louisiana-Lafayette 4-5
ULM 4-6
New Orleans 3-6
UALR 3-6
Troy 2-5
South Alabama 1-6

FRIDAY'S RESULTS:
ULM 4 @ Florida Atlantic 5
Middle Tennessee @ UALR PPD
Louisiana-Lafayette 10 @ Florida International 11
Troy @ New Orleans PPD
South Alabama 7 @ Arkansas State 8