Florida Atlantic baseball defeated Rice by a score of 6-2 in the opening game of their series on March 28. The Owls, now holding a record of 15-11 overall and 2-2 in the American Athletic Conference, relied on effective pitching from starter James Litman and reliever Zach Kilby, as well as strategic infield play to secure the win.
The victory is significant for Florida Atlantic as it marks an important conference win early in the series against Rice. The team demonstrated resilience after falling behind early and used tactical plays to regain control of the game.
Rice took an early lead with two runs off Litman in the second inning. However, Litman settled down afterward, allowing only three more hits over his next several innings. Florida Atlantic responded by scoring six runs, all coming from balls hit within the infield. Key moments included Brett Patten beating out a double play to bring home a run and Nick Romano executing a squeeze bunt that led to additional runs due to aggressive baserunning by teammates.
Romano and Michael Perazza contributed further insurance runs for Florida Atlantic with successful bunts during the eighth inning. Kilby then entered relief duty with two runners on base and one out in the sixth inning; he proceeded to retire all eleven batters he faced, finishing his first career save with a perfect ninth inning.
Five players from Florida Atlantic recorded multiple hits during the game. Perazza had two hits along with three runs batted in (RBI), while Boylston scored three times after singling twice. Romano also singled twice for two RBI. Brando Leroux went two-for-five at bat, Lipsey contributed both a single and an extra-base hit—a double—and Patten stole two bases, increasing his season total to twelve.
Looking ahead, game two between Florida Atlantic and Rice is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
