The Florida Atlantic baseball team started the season off rough losing four out of their first six games. However, the highly touted FAU baseball team has recently put an eleven-game win streak after a one-run win over nationally ranked no. 21 Rutgers on Mar. 19.

The Blue wave took an early lead on the Scarlett Knights when Gabe Somarriba hit his second homerun of the season leading off the game for Florida Atlantic.

FAU went up 2-0 in the third inning when Somarriba scored on a Derek Hutton single up the middle of the infield. Rutgers erased the two-run deficit in the top of the fourth when rightfielder Val Majewksi took a pitch from Blue Wave starter Tom McLane deep over the right field fence tying the game up at 2-2.

There would be no runs scored until the sixth inning when Jeff Fiorentino belted a homerun over the centerfield fence giving FAU back the lead 3-2.

The Scarlett Knights came right back in the top of the seventh scoring two more runs and then plated one more run in the eighth to take a 5-3 lead over the Blue Wave.

FAU was not to go down easily, however as they took advantage of a costly Rutgers fielding error in the eighth inning and tied the game up at 5 apiece going into the final inning of regulation.

In the bottom of the ninth, Somarriba again reached base on a walk after Jeremiah Creech struck out for the first out of the inning. Second batter in the FAU batting order was Derek Hutton who scorched a ground ball past a diving Scarlett Knights first baseman for a base hit.

L.J. Biernbaum then came up with a man on first and second with one out. Biernbaum delivered a single in the same area of Hutton’s and the speedy Somarriba beat the right fielders throw and scored the game winning, walk off, run 6-5.

McLane worked 5 1/3 innings before relieved by Chris Della Rocco and Tim McNab finished the game off recording the victory for FAU.

Rutgers is the Blue Wave’s first ranked opponent this year and the win improves Florida Atlantic at an impressive 18-6 on the season while the nation’s no. 21 team, who recently took two games out of three from Miami, falls to 8-6.

Somarriba finished the game 2-for-3 and was walked twice with 3 runs scored. Matt Pali quietly was 3-for-4 with an RBI for FAU.

Florida Atlantic is currently in the middle of crucial conference games, but will play the defending NCAA Champions on Apr. 24 at Mark Light Stadium in Miami, Fl.