(Box Score) (Box Score 2)
OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (April 6, 2024) – Florida National University’s baseball team (16-20) ended a 4-0 series road trip to the University of Fort Lauderdale Eagles (33-9) Saturday. The Conquistadors were overwhelmed by a juggernaut UFTL offense, falling 10-3 in game one and 9-6 in game two. UFTL opened this series on the diamond of Davis Field at Northeast High School with a commanding 1-0 thrilling win in game one and a 14-7 rout to close out Friday’s action.
In the Eagles game one victory on April 6, Florida National held a slight 1-0 lead after the first inning thanks to a run scored by Jordan Lewis after Matthew Gonzalez reached first on a fielder’s choice. This was short-lived after the Eagles jumped to a 5-1 lead thanks to a three-hit performance in the bottom of the third. Ryan Rifenberg’s RBI single was a prelude to JD Tibbs’ monster three-run homer against FNU pitcher Alain Alonso.
Fort Lauderdale found their rhythm and never looked back, adding four runs to their lead in the fourth. The Eagles recorded three RBI singles and an RBI groundout en route to a 9-1 lead. Gonzalez momentarily stopped the bleeding in the fifth on a base hit that ran in Daniel Silgado to highlight a two-hit frame for the visiting Conquistadors. UFTL rendered this score null and void in the bottom of the inning for its final score of game one on a double from Erik Scott.
FNU ended the game with six hits and an error, while the Eagles had 10 hits and recorded one error. Game two was a dominant affair for the Eagles, cruising to their 33rd win of the season. FNU has now dropped five of its last six contests and fallen below the .500 threshold for the 2024 season.
Up Next: FNU faces a short turnaround as they head to Keiser University April 8 for an 11 a.m. contest in West Palm Beach, Fla.
