Florida Atlantic University’s baseball team opened its season with a 7-1 win over Notre Dame on Friday night in Boca Raton. John Martinez and Ian Collier each hit home runs, while sophomore pitcher James Litman recorded a career-high nine strikeouts.
Notre Dame took an early lead by scoring in the top of the second inning. Florida Atlantic responded in the bottom half when Martinez hit a three-run home run, giving the Owls a lead they maintained for the rest of the game.
Litman pitched four innings, striking out nine batters and allowing one run on three hits. He ended his outing by stranding two runners in the fourth inning. The bullpen, consisting of Kide Adetuyi, Carson Kimball, and Bryan Boully, combined to keep Notre Dame scoreless over the final five innings.
In the eighth inning, Collier hit a two-run home run to extend Florida Atlantic’s lead. Patrick Ward added an RBI single, and Martinez doubled to bring in another run. The Owls finished with 11 hits compared to Notre Dame’s five. Martinez led the team with four RBIs and was one of four players with two hits.
Adetuyi pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Kimball made his debut with a clean eighth inning, and Boully retired all three batters he faced in the ninth.
The teams will play again on Saturday at 4 p.m.
