BOCA RATON, FL—The 14th ranked FAU Owls (33-10/15-6) defeated the Monarchs (20-23/7-14) of Old Dominion, 8-2 Sunday at FAU Stadium. P.J. Higgins and Nick Walker led ODU with two hits each, while Brendon Sanger and Esteban Puerta had three hits each for FAU.
For the second game in a row FAU scored 4 runs in the eighth inning to break the game open after ODU had the tying run on base in the previous inning.
ODU scored in the fifth as Mike Perez led off with a double and scored on Nick Walker’s double. Later in that inning Zach Rutherford was thrown out at the plate by Brendon Sanger.
ODU loaded the bases in the seventh with one out as Perez and Higgins walked, and walker singled. Perez scored from third on a groundout by Rutherford, but were unable to score again. In the eighth ODU had Josh Eldridge and Mike Perez on base one out, but failed to score.
FAU scored in the first inning when Sanger doubled home Stephen Kerr. Esteban Puerta doubled home Sanger and Roman Collins in the fourth for a 3-0 FAU lead. In the sixth inning, Billy Endris singled in a run for a 4-1 lead.
FAU broke the game open in the eighth inning as Chatham knocked in Puerta for a 5-2 lead then Kerr belted a two-run homer for a 7-2 lead. Sanger finished the FAU scoring with an RBI single for the 8-2 final score.
ODU returns to Norfolk to host Virginia at Harbor Park on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
ODU 000 010 100=2-8-0
FAU 100 201 04x=8-12-0
ODU: Bainbridge, Busbice (6),Josephs(7) and Perez
FAU: Rhodes, Monkman(6), Carr(7), McGarry(7) and R. Miller
HR: FAU by Kerr
WP: Rhodes (2-0) LP: Bainbridge (3-2)