April 19, 2008

Box Score

Game 1 Recap: FAU 22, NYIT 7

OLD WESTBURY, NY - Michael Obradovich's 10 strikeouts was a season-best among Florida Atlantic University pitchers and New Jersey native Nick Criaris hit two home runs leading FAU to a 16-2 game-two victory over the New York Institute of Technology in Saturday's doubleheader.

Florida Atlantic (23-14) swept the twin-bill, winning easily in the opener 22-7 en route to outscoring NYIT 38-9 in two games.

For the doubleheader Nick Arata went 4-for-9 with two home runs and nine RBI. Junior classmate William Block homered twice and senior Mike McKenna scored five times.

The Owls upped its team batting average to .332.

NYIT (10-19-1) committed nine errors and issued 25 walks during the doubleheader.

Coming off an award-winning performance against No. 1 Miami on April 16, Obradovich (3-2) went eight complete innings for the second straight start, allowing just five hits and two runs against NYIT Saturday.

Leading 3-2 in the fourth, Criaris hit the first of his two home runs, a solo shot that easily cleared the fence in right field.

With Obradovich working effectively into the eighth, FAU assured the small crowd at NYIT's President's Field of a lopsided finish to an afternoon dominated by the Owls.

Criaris led off the eighth with another solo job, this one into the tennis courts in left center field and three batters later Arata hit his second home run of the day to make the score 10-2.

FAU's eighth home run of the afternoon came with two out in the ninth when Tom Hatcher hit a full-count pitch out to left center.

NYIT starter Frank Ryan (2-3) struck out eight in seven innings, throwing 155 pitches before leaving after facing two batters in the eighth.

GAME NOTES: Obradovich and reliever Chris Eberhart combined to post the first walk-free game of the season for the FAU pitching staff... FAU has swept both doubleheaders it has played this season, previously beating Middle Tennessee State in a pair of Sunday games at FAU Stadium on March 23.