Box Score MIAMI (Feb. 14, 2014) – The FIU Baseball team (1-0) opened up the 2014 campaign with a 7-6 comeback victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Friday night. Trailing 6-2 in the sixth inning, the Panthers plated five runs to retake the lead. The FIU back end of the bullpen was effective, as senior Mitchell Davis picked up the victory and senior Mike Gomez earned a two-inning save, the 18th of his career. 

Junior Julius Gaines led the way for Panthers, going 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Senior Zach Sweety and junior Josh Anderson each recorded hits, while junior L.K. Thompson V and freshman JC Escarra each recorded their first career hits in an FIU Uniform. In total, seven Panthers made their FIU debut on Friday.

Junior Mike Franco made the start on the mound for the Panthers, going 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, and striking out six batters. Davis and Gomez each struck out three batters in a combined 3 1/3 innings of relief. Gomez's 18th career save puts him just five back of the FIU record.

In the bottom of the first, three Panthers reached base via the walk, loading the bases with two outs for junior Brian Portelli. In his first career plate appearance in an FIU uniform, Portelli was hit by a pitch, scoring Gaines to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

FIU tacked on to its lead in the second inning. Junior Roche Woodard led the inning off with a walk and stolen base. Senior Tyler Hibbert moved Woodard over to third base on a groundout. With two outs, Gaines lined one over the shortstop's head to score Woodard, giving the Panthers a 2-0 advantage.

Rutgers got things going in the fifth inning. With one out and nobody on base, the Scarlet Knights collected three-straight hits, which included an RBI double from Mike Zavala. An errant throw later in the inning allowed for Rutgers to plate two more runners and to jump out in front, 3-2.

The Scarlet Knights were not done yet. In the sixth inning, Brian O'Grady lifted a three-run home run off of sophomore Charles Cormier into the right field preserve to extend the visitor's lead to 6-2.

The Panthers rallied in the bottom half. FIU loaded the bases with nobody out, thanks to three-straight singles from Anderson, sophomore Edwin Rios, and Thompson. Then with one out, Woodard walked to score Anderson. Escarra was plunked by a pitch in his first collegiate plate appearance, scoring another run to make it 6-4. Hibbert hit a sacrifice fly to shallow right centerfield to score Thompson to trim the Scarlet Knight lead to 6-5. Gaines delivered the game-tying hit, an RBI double with two outs to knot it up at six. Following a walk for junior Aramis Garcia, Escarra went on to score on a wild pitch with Anderson up, allowing FIU to retake the lead, 7-6.

Davis was effective in his appearance out of the bullpen, allowing two base runners and striking out three in 1 1/3 before handing the ball to Gomez. With one out and a runner on in the top of the eighth inning, Gomez, who made his first appearance for FIU in 11 months coming off Tommy John Surgery, forced a double play to keep the Panther lead in check. Gomez went on to strike out two in the bottom of the ninth to pick up the save.

The Panthers are back in action on Saturday, with a doubleheader against the Scarlet Knights starting at 2 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUBaseball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUBaseball) for all the latest FIU Baseball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).

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Season tickets for the upcoming FIU baseball season are now on sale. Tickets for the 2014 campaign cost just $50 per ticket for all fans this year. Fans can purchase tickets online, over the phone by calling 305-FIU-GAME, or in person at the R. Kirk Landon Fieldhouse Box Office. Student admission is free to all FIU baseball home games.

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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 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s 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. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.