Boca Raton, FL.- Sometimes the sweetest rewards are earned following the hardest battles. After a thrilling 8-0 defeat of the Indiana Hoosiers last night, the Florida Atlantic Owls took on the Ohio State Buckeyes in what would become a thrilling Opening weekend clash of titans.
In night two of the Paradise Classic, Florida Atlantic showcased the absolute drive and grit it takes to be heralded as one of the nation’s best. The Owls faced with an early 1-0 deficit needed a spark to light their signature firework offense. That’s when, in the bottom of the second inning, the bat of Arizona State transfer C/DH Lily Holtje struck the match to ignite the fire. On a 3-1 count, Holtje found what she was looking for, launching a moon shot solo home run over left-center field to rally the Owls.
Ohio State would respond with 2 runs in the top of the 3rd inning, which were immediately countered with scoring shenanigans from FAU in the bottom frame of 3, after Shortstop Destiny Johns knocked a ground ball to the circle, improperly fielded by the Buckeyes, leading to two RBI’s from Bella Foran and Kylie Hammonds.
The dogfight would continue as Ohio State’s Abbie Wilhelm knocked a home run of her own down left-center in the top of the 4th. Wilhelm’s solo shot would prove to be a turning point in this matchup- but not in the way most expect. The Owls soared through the bottom of the 4th, as Florida Atlantic continued to draw walks, leading to juiced bases early in the frame. 1st Baseman Madison Inscoe would begin the feeding frenzy after a single to right field would earn 1 RBI (Lily Lowry) and advance another runner (McKenna Mullholland). The walk in the park continued for the Owls, as Johns would draw a free advancement, advancing the bases as JoJo Mullholland trots across home unbothered.
Moments later, Florida Atlantic’s star 3rd Baseman Jessiana Mora would earn a single via a fielders choice, scoring another RBI with ease (Cameryn Orland), followed up by Foran swiping home on a two score play. FAU would carry their red hot bats into the 5th, as Center Fielder Kylie Hammonds smashed a double into the outfield, scoring Right Fielder Kiley Shelton.
Ohio State would score two runs in the top of the 6th, but any chance for a late scoring surge was quickly silenced as Florida Atlantic Catcher Chloe Yeatts struck the dagger with a 2 run home run to seal the FAU victory.
Final Box: Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic Batting
| Pos | # | Player | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | TB | BB | IBB | HBP | SH | SF | GDP | PO | A | LOB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cf | 9 | K. Hammonds | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2b | 33 | D. Johns | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3b | 1 | J. Mora | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| dp | 7 | L. Holtje | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| pr | 13 | S. Camacho | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| c | 25 | C. Yeatts | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| ph | 21 | Y. Guzman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| rf | 16 | K. Shelton | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| pr | 10 | L. Lowery | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ss | 2 | M. Mulhollan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1b | 5 | M. Inscoe | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1b | 40 | C. Orland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| lf | 27 | B. Foran | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| ph | 26 | K. Davey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Batting Totals
AB: 24 | R: 10 | H: 10 | RBI: 7 | 2B: 0 | 3B: 0 | HR: 2 | TB: 10 | BB: 5 | IBB: 0 | HBP: 0 | SH: 0 | SF: 6 | GDP: 2 | PO: 2 | A: 21 | LOB: 1 | (Final column): 2
Florida Atlantic Pitching Stats
| # | Player | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | WP | BK | HP | BF | 2B | 3B | HR | XBH | FO | GO | GDP | TP | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | J. Martinez | 3.2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 44 | |
| 18 | A. Lambert | W 1-0 | 2.0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 30 |
| 23 | A. Courtney | S 1 | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 21 |
Team Pitching Totals
IP: 7.0 | H: 9 | R: 6 | ER: 4 | BB: 7 | K: 10 | WP: 0 | BK: 0 | HP: 2 | BF: 40 | 2B: 1 | 3B: 1 | HR: 1 | XBH: 3 | FO: 10 | GO: 1 | GDP: 0 | TP: 158 | ST: 95
Ohio State Batting
| POS | # | Player | AB | R | H | RBI | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | HBP | SH | SF | LOB | SB | CS | PO | A | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rf | 2 | Parisien | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2b | 6 | Bewick | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| pr | 80 | Barrett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1b/3b | 27 | Wilhelm | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| dp/1b | 89 | Estrada | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| lf | 11 | Cruse | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| c | 25 | Lang | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 3b | 1 | Landmesser | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| dp | 10 | Neal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| cf | 5 | Limon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ss | 3 | Tarr | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| p | 19 | Molk | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Team Batting Totals
AB: 30 | R: 6 | H: 9 | RBI: 4 | 2B: 1 | 3B: 1 | HR: 1 | BB: 7 | K: 10 | HBP: 2 | SH: 0 | SF: 1 | LOB: 13 | SB: 1 | CS: 0 | PO: 18 | A: 9 | E: 1
Ohio St. Pitching Stats
| # | Player | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | WP | BK | HP | BF | 2B | 3B | HR | XBH | FO | GO | GDP | TP | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Molk | L 0-1 | 3.1 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 73 | 42 |
| 23 | Boutte | 2.2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 72 | 34 |
Team Pitching Totals
IP: 6.0 | H: 10 | R: 10 | ER: 8 | BB: 10 | K: 5 | WP: 1 | BK: 0 | HP: 0 | BF: 34 | 2B: 0 | 3B: 0 | HR: 2 | XBH: 2 | FO: 3 | GO: 6 | GDP: 0 | TP: 145 | ST: 76
Florida Atlantic now stands at 2-0 on the 2026 regular season, as the Owls prepare to face the Wisconsin Badgers tomorrow night. First pitch is slated for 6:15 PM.
