Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Tallahassee, Fla. (March 12, 2013) – The Panthers dropped to 16-13 on the season, falling victim to the Florida State Seminoles twice, 11-2 in five innings and 7-4 on Tuesday night at Joanne Graf Field.

In game one, the Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Brie Rojas led off with a walk and Nicole Rascon followed with a bunt single to the pitcher, but the throw sailed into foul territory, allowing Rojas to score.

After Rascon advanced to third on a ground ball, Aleima Lopez grounded out to second to bring the second run on the board at 2-0.

Florida State got those two runs back off FIU's Corinne Jenkins (8-2) in the bottom of the first inning.

Maddie O'Brien doubled home Courtney Senas, who reached base via a walk to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.

The ensuing hitter, Celeste Gomez, singled past the shortstop to tie the game at 2-2.

FSU struck two more times in the second inning to take a 4-2 lead.

Kaitlin Allen singled to second, and moved to second following a walk by Macey Cheatham.

Allen and Cheatham advanced into scoring position courtesy of a groundout to first, setting up a two-out double by Senas to give the Seminoles a 4-2 edge.


Florida State added two more in the third inning from back-to-back RBI singles by Morgan Bullock and Allen, giving the Seminoles a four-run cushion.

A solo homerun by Senas and an RBI single by Kristin Austin in the fourth increased the FSU lead to 8-2.

Kelly Hensley ended the game in the fifth inning following a three-run shot over the right centerfield wall, giving FSU the 11-2 mercy-rule victory.

In game two, Florida State jumped out to a 1-0 lead off FIU's starter, Mariah Dawson (3-9), thanks to a single to right off the bat of Kelly Hensley.

Lopez slammed a solo homerun to center in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-1.

Florida State blew the game open in the bottom of the third, putting a six-spot on the board and knocking Dawson out of the game with two outs.

Senas led off the inning and connected on a solo shot to centerfield to put FSU ahead, 2-1 in the bottom of the third.

The Seminoles batted around, sending 11 hitters to the plate. The inning produced four hits (homerun) and four walks.

FIU added two in the fifth and one in the sixth to cut the deficit to 7-4, but would were unable to close the gap any further. 

FIU will next travel to Jacksonville to battle North Florida in a doubleheader on Wednesday, first pitch set for 3 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUSoftball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSoftball) for all the latest FIU Softball news. Follow
all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
The Blue and Gold will play 33 home games at the FIU Softball Complex. Season tickets for the 2013 season cost only $35 for public seating, $20 for FIU employees and
alumni or $70 for the Family Plan (2 Adults and 3 Youth.  To purchase single-game or season tickets, call the FIU Ticket Office at (305) FIU-GAME, or online at
FIUSPORTS.com.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelors, masters and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.