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Down 6, Owls rally to win

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Down 6, Owls rally to win

They're complaining on their message board that they "SHOULD" have won the game because they outplayed us. :o
I'd say we gave them a lot of help too.






By Ted Hutton
Staff Writer
Posted April 10 2004

BOCA RATON ? Mistakes put Florida Atlantic in an early six-run hole Friday night against Central Florida, but the Owls were able to win an important Atlantic Sun Conference game 7-6.

The comeback came after a bad second inning for FAU, when UCF sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs, five unearned, on three hits as FAU had two errors, two wild pitches, a past ball and two walks.


But FAU (27-7, 7-6) battled back against UCF (28-6, 13-3) and pitcher Kyle Bono, who came in at 5-0 with a 1.00 ERA, adding runs in the third and fourth, two in the fifth and another in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-5.

FAU then got help in the bottom of the eighth, when UCF's defense faltered and two errors gave FAU runners at first and third with no outs.

Mike McBryde tried to score on a past ball and was tagged out at first for the first out. Derek Hutton struck out, but walks to Tim Mascia and Jeff Fiorentino loaded the bases for Rob Horst, who had a two-run homer in the fifth.

Horst got a single to left, scoring Joe Yeager and Mascia, giving FAU had the lead.

FAU starter Matt O'Brien was still around to finish the game in the ninth, which seemed unlikely after the way the second inning went.

But O'Brien was able to pull himself together and was masterful from the third inning on, allowing just three hits over the final seven innings while shutting down the Golden Knights.

O'Brien improves to 8-2 after giving up six hits, striking out nine and allowing just one earned run.

"O'Brien went from the outhouse to the penthouse," FAU coach Kevin Cooney said. "He shut them down the rest of the way and gave us a chance to get back into the game."

FAU, which had lost two games in a row and dropped out of the top 20, needed a win and will play the No. 19 Golden Knights in a doubleheader today at noon.

Lack of clutch hits hurt FAU until Horst came through as the Owls left nine men on base and had the bases loaded with one out in the third and sixth but could only get in one run in each inning.

The game was delayed 48 minutes in the second inning by rain and lightning.

Ted Hutton can be reached at [email protected].


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