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No Late Inning Heroics As Owls Fall 8-3 In Game Two

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No Late Inning Heroics As Owls Fall 8-3 In Game Two

Florida Atlantic (24-17; 7-12 Sun Belt) had 11 hits to WKU's 7 and were poised to comeback from a four-run deficit, trailing 4-3 in the seventh and threatening in the eighth after William Block’s lead-off double.

But the reigning Sun Belt Conference champs and league-leading Hilltoppers (29-12; 15-5 Sun Belt) saw Carter gun down Block trying to tag from second to third, killing a would-be rally. The Owls lost 8-3.

"We want our guys to be aggressive and sometimes those things happen," said FAU head coach John McCormack of Block being thrown out at third for the second out of the eighth inning. "We had scored two in the seventh and they had made a pitching change and we had guys behind (Block) swinging the bat well and that took the wind out of our sails."

WKU was issued two walks and used an FAU fielding error to load up the bases against Alex Pepe in the bottom of the eighth and Hightower delivered a two-out single up the middle to extend a two-run lead to five.

"Now all the sudden we are down 8-3 heading into the ninth," said McCormack. "The walks and error hurt us. I told all our pitchers afterwards that we have to stay in the (strike zone)."

Three walks and two hit batters fueled an early 4-0 WKU lead. The Toppers scored single runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth off starter Mike Gipson (2-4).

The Owls generated its first run off Ridings in the sixth when Travis Ozga's sac fly plated David Wilson. Trailing 4-1 in the seventh, FAU pulled within one when Nick Criaris doubled for the second time and Troy Bubley hit an RBI-single.

For WKU, Hightower's two-run single in the eighth was his third hit of the day. He finished the afternoon 3-for-4 with four RBI.

The series will be decided on Sunday at 12:00PM EST.


Source:  FAU Media Relations

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