At this time last year, it appeared that Florida Atlantic head baseball coach John McCormack would have two experienced catchers at his disposal during the 2016 campaign.
In a series featuring the two Owls of Conference USA, Mother Nature ultimately stood out the most, as rain lead to a postponement of one game and the cancellation of Sunday’s finale between No. 13 Rice University and No. 16 Florida Atlantic baseball.
The University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles came to Boca Raton on Friday with a two-game lead over Florida Atlantic baseball and were one game ahead of Rice University, for the top spot of the Conference USA standings.
College baseball has reached the midway point of the season and Florida Atlantic’s team sits in a first-place tie for the Conference USA lead and is ranked No. 12 in the nation, according to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Trailing by one run at the top of the ninth inning, Florida Atlantic sophomore right fielder Jose Bonilla Traverso stepped up to the plate with two outs. He laced the game-tying single to left field, pushing the No. 16 Owls into their third extra-inning game in their last five games.
Florida Atlantic senior right fielder Brett Lashley started a scoreless 11th inning by cracking a single to the left field, bringing home sophomore catcher Gunnar Lambert as part of five-run inning at the top of the 11th for FAU.
