The Owls hosted Memphis in their final home series of the season last weekend, rolling over the Tigers in all 3 games en route to a series sweep which leaves them one win away from an AAC regular season title.
It was a clinic for FAU both in the circle and on the mound as the Owls run-ruled Memphis in 2 out of 3 games and allowed the Tigers to score just 5 runs on the weekend. Following a series loss to UNT 2 weekends ago, the Owls have rallied off 7 straight wins in which they outscored their opponents 67-10.
FAU is currently firing on all Cylinders looking to clinch their first outright AAC regular season title, having shared one with Charlotte a season ago and they will also look to right their wrongs from last year’s postseason that saw them have an early exit in the AAC tournament and a winless showing in their NCAA regional appearance in Gainesville.
Coach Clark is confident in her squads ability to right those wrongs and it will start with a win this weekend on the road in Tulsa, which would give her squad the first of many potential championships to come this season.
Owls outscore Memphis 41-5
It was pure domination for FAU softball this weekend against Memphis, as the Owls run-ruled the Tigers twice en-route to a 41-5 combined slaughtering of Memphis across 3 games.
It started in game one, as the Owls defeated Memphis 24-2 and after trailing 2-0 after the first inning they never looked back, scoring a program record 24 runs on the day. The Owls recorded 17 hits in just 4 innings of at-bats, including 7 Owls having a multi-hit performance and Kiley Channell, Kylie Hammonds, Bella Cimino, Jesiana Mora and Emilie Ching all had 3+ RBIs.
In game 2 the Owls bats cooled down slightly in the only non-run rule of the series, defeating Memphis 7-1. Jesiana Mora and Kylie Hammonds each had multi-hit games, with Mora finishing 4 for 4 on the day and Ciara Gibson and Chloe Yeatts combined for 4 of the 7 RBIs, with Gibson crushing a 2 run homer in the first and Yeatts pushing 2 in on a single in the 6th.
FAU’s bats broke out once again on Senior day, as the Owls defeated Memphis 10-2, with 8 players recording a hit in the afternoon. Kylie Hammonds was a force at the plate, finishing 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 5th to walk-off and run rule the Tigers for the second time of the weekend.
It was a monster day at the plate all around for the Owls and following the dominating week, Jesiana Mora was recognized for her efforts with an AAC honorable mention, as she went 8 for 10 in total and tied program records in runs and hits, with 5 and 4 respectively.
Owls get solid efforts out of the Bullpen
Although the Owls’ efforts at the plate made for smooth sailing in the circle for FAU’s pitching staff, the Bullpen was able to prevent any late rallies from the Tigers.
In the first game on Friday, Gabby Sacco came out of the pen and retired 6 straight over the final 2 innings, punching out one en route to the Owls 24-2 victory. Autumn Courtney started and picked up her 21st victory of the season, moving her record on the year to 21-2.
In game 2, it was the Ainsley Lambert show out of the Bullpen, as in her last home game of her FAU career, the Owls closer pitched the final four innings and dominated. Lambert picked up her 7th win of the year (7-1), while allowing just 2 hits, while striking out none and walking 7.
Finally in game 3 on Sunday, it was Autumn Courtney coming out of the bullpen, pitching 2.1 scoreless, retiring all 7 batters she faced consecutively, striking out 3, walking none and picking up her 1st save of the season.
It was an all-out effort from the Owls arms this past weekend and it gives them momentum heading into the final series of the year prior to the postseason.
Owls magic number to clinch the AAC regular season title is 1
With one series remaining on the docket for FAU Softball the Owls magic number to clinch an AAC regular season number sits at one. The Owls will head to Tulsa looking to do something they were unable to do in 2024 by clinching an outright AAC regular season title.
It has been a rough season for the Golden Hurricane, as they currently sit in 3rd place in the AAC, with an overall record of 20-29 and AAC record of 8-16. In their last series Tulsa lost 2 out of 3 to UTSA and they had their most recent mid-week matchup against Kansas City cancelled.
It has been a tough go of it both in the circle and at the plate for the Golden Hurricane, as they’ve been unable to find consistency with their starting pitching or anywhere in their lineup. Tulsa has only one player batting .300 or better, with Maci Cole currently batting .329 with 9 homers and 26 RBIs and in their rotation they have only one pitcher with an ERA of 5 or less, with Maura Moore checking in with a 4.27 ERA, 13-14 record and 89 strikeouts to just 44 walks.
Considering Tulsa’s struggles this season, the Owls have a golden opportunity to pick up their one win needed to clinch the AAC regular season title and they will just need to find a way to capitalize on their success from last weekend to make it happen.