BOCA RATON, Fla. — Florida Atlantic swept No. 24 South Alabama in a three-game Sun Belt Conference baseball series over the weekend, finishing with a 3-0 complete-game shutout by Jeremy Strawn on Sunday.
The Jaguars fell to 22-7 overall and 5-4 in the Sun Belt, while FAU improved to 19-9 and 7-2.
FAU Rallies in First Two Games
South Alabama took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning Friday on a three-run home run to right field by Austin Gomber. FAU’s Tyler Rocklein answered with a home run to right in the bottom of the inning, and the Owls went ahead 4-3 in the second on consecutive RBI singles. FAU added to its lead in the sixth for a 6-3 win.
Brandon Boyle took the loss, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits with one strikeout and two walks in five innings. James Traylor struck out five and allowed two hits in three scoreless innings of relief.
On Saturday, South Alabama led 6-2 after 4 1/2 innings before FAU scored five unanswered runs for a 7-6 win. The Owls scored three times in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run triple and an RBI single, tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the seventh and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth when a runner who had reached on a leadoff single and moved up on a sacrifice bunt scored from second on a South Alabama error.
Strawn Blanks Jaguars in Finale
Strawn improved to 2-1 with Sunday’s shutout. FAU scored twice in the bottom of the second, the first run on an error at third base and the second on a sacrifice bunt.
South Alabama loaded the bases in the top of the third, but Strawn got a grounder for a force out at home and then struck out Jordan Patterson to end the inning.
Jacob Noble took his first loss of the season.
South Alabama returns home Tuesday to host Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m.
Softball Drops Series to Western Kentucky
The South Alabama softball team split a Friday doubleheader with Western Kentucky at Jaguar Field and then lost Sunday’s finale 3-2.
In the opener, Western Kentucky scored first on a solo home run to left-center in the top of the fourth, only the fifth homer allowed by Hannah Campbell this season. South Alabama answered in the bottom of the inning: Brittany Fowler singled and scored on a Haley Fagan double, Julie Moss sacrificed Fagan to third, and Kaitlyn Griffith hit her sixth home run of the season for a 3-1 lead. The Hilltoppers responded in the fifth with a two-out, two-run single to win 4-3.
South Alabama took the second game 8-5. The Jaguars scored three runs in the bottom of the second, each team scored once in the fifth, and South Alabama pushed its lead to 8-3 in the sixth before Western Kentucky added two late runs.
On Sunday, Western Kentucky’s pitcher retired nine of the first 10 South Alabama batters before Blair Johnson homered in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 1-1. The Hilltoppers scored twice in the fifth for a 3-1 lead. Britany Campbell homered over the right-field wall to pull the Jaguars within one, but South Alabama could get no closer.
Hannah Campbell’s record stands at 13-7. South Alabama is 29-7 overall and 6-3 in the Sun Belt.
The Jaguars return to action Wednesday with a midweek doubleheader against Florida Atlantic, with the first game set for 4 p.m.
