MIAMI (March 26, 2016) -- Despite taking leads in both games of the Friday Conference USA doubleheader, FIU Softball lost both games to visiting UTEP by one run, 2-1 in game one and 7-6 in the nightcap on Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium. The twinbill was delayed by more than two and a half hours due to lightning in the South Florida area.
 
FIU is now 18-16 on the season, 4-4 in Conference USA. The Miners are 14-20 overall, 5-3 in league games.
 
GAME ONE
The Panthers scored first with a run in the bottom of the second. After two hits and a walk to load the bases, freshman outfielder Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida, Lake Ranch HS) hit an infield single to drive in the run.
 
The Miners collected a pair of solo home runs to win the game off of FIU starter Megan Kugelmann (Merritt Island, Florida / Cocoa Beach HS). Courtney Clayton hit the tying homer in the top of the third, and the game-winning RBI came from the bat of Kawehiokalani Netane in the fifth.
 
The Panthers stranded seven runners in the opening game. Kugelmann fell to 6-3 on the season. She struck out five in the complete-game effort, walking two and allowing eight hits.
 
UTEP pitcher Kailtin Fifield earned the win to improve to 4-10. She scattered seven hits and a walk, also striking out five batters.
 
Schoff led the Panthers with two hits. Clayton had three for the Miners for the game-high total.
 
GAME TWO
The nightcap featured four lead changes and 23 total combined hits. UTEP got four runs in the first, only to see FIU come back for five runs by the end of the second.
 
UTEP third baseman Kiki Pepi homered in the first inning to drive in two, while Netane doubled to plate the last two in the inning.
 
FIU third baseman Dani Mowry (Cocoa, Florida / Space Coast HS) drove in the first run for the Panthers in the bottom of the first, with the second scoring on a throwing error.
 
In the second, second baseman Ashley Leon (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep / Auburn University) hit an RBI single to left before a two-RBI double by first baseman Stephanie Texeira (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep) gave the Panthers a 5-4 lead.
 
Three hits and an error in the top of the third allowed the Miners to retake the lead, 6-5, but the Panthers tied the score in the fourth on two hits and an error to even the game at six each.
 
A Linda Garcia RBI single through the middle was the game-winning hit in the fifth.
 
FIU left eight runners on in game two. The loss went to reliever Rachel Dwyer (Tampa, Florida / Chamberlain HS / University of Virginia), who allowed seven hits in 3.2 innings. She is 2-3.
 
UTEP pitcher Danielle Pearson went the distance, allowing 10 hits and four walks. Four of the six runs charged to her were earned. She also collected a hit and scored two runs, including the game-winner in the fifth frame.
 
Schoff had three hits to lead the Panthers in game two. She finished the day 5-for-8, raising her season batting average almost 20 points. Texeira's pair of RBI pushed her team-leading season total to 28.
 
The two teams will conclude the series Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. Eastern.
 
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of Conference USA. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and the FIU Football Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.