The Florida Atlantic Owls baseball team claimed a hard-fought weekend series victory over the Florida International Panthers, winning two of three games in their in-state rivalry showdown. After dropping Friday’s opener in Miami, the Owls bounced back with consecutive wins to secure the series.
Game 1: FIU 7, FAU 3
In the series opener, Florida Atlantic (10-3) fell 7-3 to FIU (12-3) on Friday night in Miami. Early on, the game was a pitching duel between FAU’s Trey Beard and FIU’s Easton Marks. Beard was dominant, recording 11 strikeouts in six innings while allowing just one run — a solo homer in the third.
FAU’s offense remained quiet until the sixth inning when Jake Duer’s infield single sparked a rally. Duer eventually scored on Ayden Garcia’s RBI single, and Jake Millan followed with a go-ahead RBI hit to make it 2-1.
However, FIU answered emphatically in the seventh inning, erupting for six runs on just three hits. Andrew Ildefonso’s RBI double tied the game before Kishon Frett, who leads the nation in hit-by-pitches, was plunked with the bases loaded to push FIU ahead. Cole Cleveland and Alex Ulloa each delivered two-run singles to extend the Panthers’ lead to 7-2.
Despite a solo home run by Marshall Lipsey in the eighth, FAU’s comeback fell short. The Owls’ bullpen struggled, using four pitchers to get through the decisive seventh inning.
Game 2: FAU 6, FIU 5
The Owls bounced back with a dramatic 6-5 victory on Saturday at FAU Baseball Stadium. After falling behind 3-0, FAU stormed back with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by Nick Romano’s two-run single and a sacrifice fly from Jake Millan.
Trailing 5-3 in the seventh, FAU staged another comeback. Patrick Ward’s single started the rally, and John Schroeder and Brando Leroux walked to load the bases. Jake Duer came through with a clutch two-run single to tie the game, and Romano followed with a go-ahead RBI single.
Closer MJ Bollinger delivered a six-out save, navigating around a one-out single in the eighth before retiring FIU in order in the ninth. Duer continued his hot streak, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, maintaining his impressive .500 batting average.
Game 3: FAU 6, FIU 4
In Sunday’s series finale, FAU claimed a 6-4 victory on the road to win the series. The Owls jumped ahead early, with Marshall Lipsey scoring in the first inning. After FIU tied it with a solo homer, Dylan LaPointe’s two-RBI double in the fourth put FAU back on top.
Lipsey and John Schroeder added solo home runs in the fifth and sixth innings, giving FAU a comfortable cushion. Freshman pitcher James Litman delivered an impressive outing, retiring FIU in order in the third, fourth, and fifth innings before allowing a solo homer in the sixth.
Patrick Ward added a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth to extend FAU’s lead to 6-3. FIU responded with a fourth solo home run in the bottom half, but Bollinger returned to close out the ninth, securing his second straight save and the series win for the Owls.
Series Takeaways
• FAU’s Resilience: After a tough Game 1 loss, the Owls showed grit by rallying in both Games 2 and 3.
• Jake Duer’s Dominance: Duer continued his red-hot season, finishing the weekend with four hits while maintaining his remarkable .500 batting average.
• Strong Pitching Performances: Trey Beard’s 11-strikeout performance in Game 1 and James Litman’s steady outing in Game 3 were key highlights for FAU.
With the series win, FAU improved to 12-3 on the season, while FIU fell to 12-5. The Owls look to carry this momentum into their upcoming conference schedule.
