Feb. 2, 2003

Final Stats |  Photo Gallery

Rusty Brown was hot for Florida Atlantic University in the three-game Bethune-Cookman series. In the final game of the contest, Brown went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer as FAU won its third straight game, 7-0. Brown went 8-for-15 in the series and finished with six RBIs.

Randy Beam struck out eight in six innings of work in his FAU debut. The junior college transfer from Manatee Community College only allowed two hits and held the Wildcats scoreless.

Matt O'Brien came out of the pen in relief for two innings of work. He retired the side in both innings and struck out three. Aaron Miller entered in the ninth to close out the game and retire the side. FAU did not allow the last 12 batters of the game to reach base.

Florida Atlantic's runs came in multiples in the second and fifth innings. A crazy second inning was started with FAU's first hit, a Brown (N. Fort Myers, FL) single to center. Rob Horst followed with a single through the left side. With one out, Shaen O'Connor hit a ball up the middle which looked like a force out at second. But the ball took a bounce off of second base and skirted into left field to allow two runs to score. A Jeff Fiorentino fly ball to right moved O'Connor to third and he scored on one of Bethune-Cookman's four balks on the day.

Rusty Brown's three-run homer sealed the game in the fifth inning and gave FAU the 7-0 lead.

John Gragg falls to 0-1 on the season for B-CC. He worked 5 1/3 innings and struck out eight. He allowed six hits and seven runs in the game.

The two teams will meet again next week when Bethune-Cookman travels to Boca Raton for games on Friday and Saturday at 7 and 1 pm.