LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (April 15, 2023) – History was made on the diamond of Georgia Gwinnett College for Florida National University’s baseball team. For the third time in program history, the Conquistadors have captured 13 wins in the regular season, following a stellar 13-8 win over Crowley’s Ridge College at the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) Showdown.
The last time FNU claimed 13 games in the win column was the 2018-2019 season. They now stand just one win short of owning the school record with seven games left in the 2023 season.
This crowning achievement came off a juggernaut offensive performance from the Conquistadors through six innings. Right off the bat, Roberto Fernandez got FNU on the board with an RBI single to left field that pushed in Matthew Gonzalez. Nick Diaz and Jason Altuve recorded one run apiece in the second to cap off a three-hit inning for the Conquistadors.
At the top of the third, Erick Rodriguez delivered a stunning single through the right side advancing Alejandro De Arazoza to third and scoring Fernandez. De Arazoza made the short trip to home plate courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Adrian Roman a few plays later.
Fernandez continued to put on a show in the CAC Showdown, notching an RBI single to center field in the fourth and a grand slam in the fifth to help FNU take a commanding 13-0 lead. Up until the seventh the Pioneers were held at bay, as pitcher Bastyan Hernandez collected eight strikeouts while on the mound.
CRC came to life in the final frames, notching one hit in the sixth, and scoring eight runs in the seventh. Eight costly walks and two errors kept the Pioneers alive, as more CRC batters were making their way around the bases to home. A game-sealing strikeout from closer Erik Fuentes sealed a thrilling 13-8 win for FNU.
The Conquistadors recorded 14 hits and two errors while CRC had five hits and three errors.
Up Next: FNU baseball takes on NAIA powerhouse Georgia Gwinnett tomorrow at 1 p.m.
