BOCA RATON, Fla. — Florida Atlantic posted a pair of shutouts, 1-0 and 3-0, against UTSA in a Conference USA doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at FAU Softball Stadium.
The Owls (32-18, 12-8 C-USA) held the Roadrunners (19-31, 9-14 C-USA) to 11 combined hits in the scoreless twinbill for UTSA.
Amanda Wilson (14-9) struck out three and scattered five hits in a complete-game win in the lid-lifter of the three-game series, while Tatum Buckley (8-6) allowed six hits and walked a pair in seven frames in the nightcap.
In the opener, Emily Lochten led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple to the right-field corner. Madisyn Palmer then drew a walk and stole second to put runners at second and third with nobody out. FAU appeared to score its first run on a bunt single by Delaney Rickey, but the home plate umpire ruled that the ball hit the bat in fair territory, resulting in an out and sending the runners back to their previous bases. UTSA got out of the jam with a foul-out to the catcher and a fly ball to left field.
UTSA threatened in the top of the third, as Taylor Oberg reached on a one-out bloop double to left center and advanced to third on a bunt single by Lindsey Stewart. Angelica Nino drew a walk to load the bases with one out. However, a pair of groundouts on the infield ended the threat.
The Owls scored the lone run of the game in the home half of the third. Palmer led off with a bunt single to third – her hit of the game – and then stole second to get a runner in scoring position. Rickey then put down a sac bunt that resulted in a close play at first and allowed Palmer to score all the way from second.
The Roadrunners mounted one final rally in their final at-bat. Kylea Nix reached on a leadoff single on a hard ground ball to the pitcher. Oberg moved pinch runner Madison Kinley to second with a sac bunt. After a fly ball to left for the second out, Kinley moved to third on a wild pitch and Nino drew a walk to put runners at the corner. FAU got out of the jam with a ground ball to first to end the game.
Lizzy Fox (13-16) fanned a pair and allowed just one run on five hits in the loss.
FAU plated two runs in the first frame of game two. Lochten drew a leadoff walk, stole second, moved to third on a bunt single by Palmer and scored on a groundout to second by Rickey. Palmer, who had moved to third on the previous out, came home with the second run on a squeeze bunt by Buckley.
Held hitless through the first three-and-a-two-thirds innings, Randee Crawford broke through for the first base knock of the contest with a clean single to left in the fourth. Erica Sanchez and Hailey Garza followed with back-to-back base hits to load the bass with two down. However, Buckley got out of the jam by inducing a ground ball to the first baseman.
The Owls padded their lead with a run in the fifth after an infield single by Lochten followed by an error on UTSA allowed pinch runner Summer Damiano to come home from second and make it 3-0.
UTSA brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh. Nix singled to left and Stewart kept the inning alive with a two-out base knock to right, but a fly ball to center ended the threat.
Nicole Merrill (6-10) struck out three and allowed just three hits and two earned runs in the loss.
Sunday's series finale is scheduled for noon (CT).
