Dartmouth: Final Stats (PDF) | Final Stats (HTML)

North Florida: Final Stats (PDF) | Final Stats (HTML)

MIAMI (Feb. 21, 2014) – The FIU softball team split the day, first beating the Dartmouth Big Green Friday afternoon, 3-1, before falling in a close game to the North Florida Ospreys, 2-1, in the nightcap.

Sophomore Corinne Jenkins got the nod in game two, going three and one-third innings and striking out four, while allowing just one earned run on three hits.

In a jam with two runners in scoring position in the top of the first, junior Krystal Garcia looked the runner at third back before firing across the diamond for the second out. Jenkins stranded two with a third-out punch out.

After drawing a lead-off walk to start the home half of the first, senior Bre Kaye added to her team lead in steals, grabbing her sixth of the season. Junior Rebekah Sanchez (2-for-3) followed with a single back up the middle, plating Kaye from second.

FIU was able to strand two more in the top of the second, as Jenkins recorded two strikeouts in the frame. In the third, Sanchez recorded her first-career triple off a shot to the wall in center field but would be stranded.

Junior Shelby Graves relieved Jenkins in the fourth, inheriting a bases loaded situation with just one out. FIU was able to escape the inning, surrendering just one run after the turning a double play, which ended in a 9-4-3 tag out of the runner at first.

In the top of the seventh, Graves was able to shut down two batters looking before the team turned a 2-4-5 pickoff to end the inning, eliminating a lead-off Ospreys double. In the bottom of the frame, freshman Gabby Spallone (2-for-3) singled up the middle and Garcia drew a four-pitch walk, putting two on with two outs but both would be stranded.

Earlier in the day, senior Mariah Dawson got the start in the circle against Dartmouth, going five innings and allowing just one earned run on three hits and five strikeouts for her first win of the season.

The Panthers faced a strong arm from Dartmouth's Kristen Rumley, who was a 2013 All-Region honoree from the NFCA as well as being the reigning Ivy League Pitcher of the Year.

FIU broke the scoreless ballgame in the home half of the third when Garcia (2-for 3, 2RBI) drew a leadoff walk. She stole second two pitches later and took third on a 5-3 sacrifice hit from senior Nicole Rascon. The Panthers were able to capitalize off an untimely wild pitch from Rumley, which allowed Garcia to cross the plate. Sanchez broke up Rumley's no-hit bid later in the inning off a two-out single through the right side.

FIU plated two insurance runs in the fourth inning when Garcia hit her team-leading third home run to left field, also plating Spallone who singled to right. Dartmouth got on the board in the visiting half of the fifth, but was held to just one run as Kaye shuffled to her left to scoop up a hard-hit grounder to end the frame.

Junior Shelby Graves came into the game in the sixth inning to relieve Dawson and inherited a no outs, runner-on-first situation. Graves made quick work of Dartmouth in the sixth, striking out the side. In all, Graves struck out all six batters she faced in the sixth and seventh innings.

FIU is back in action tomorrow, first taking on Dartmouth at noon followed by North Florida at 7:00 p.m.