Box Score MIAMI (Feb. 28, 2014) – The 30th-ranked FIU baseball team improved to 10-0 on the season with an 11-0 victory on Friday night over the Dartmouth Big Green. The Panthers are 10-0 for just the third time in program history.
Junior right-hander
Mike Franco had his best start of the 2014 campaign, firing a career-high seven scoreless innings, giving up five hits while striking out seven batters. Franco threw just 88 pitches and didn't allow a walk, as he lowered his ERA to 1.65. Freshman
Williams Durruthy tossed two scoreless innings to close the game, striking out four.
Junior shortstop
Julius Gaines hit safely in his 10th-straight game to open the season, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Freshman
Gunnar McNeill tallied his first two career hits with two doubles. McNeill delivered a big blast in the sixth inning, a bases-clearing double. Junior
Aramis Garcia had a bases-clearing triple in the second inning.
In the bottom of the second inning, freshman
Brandon Gomez reached on a leadoff walk and freshman
JC Escarra extended his hitting streak to five games to give the Panthers runners on first and second with no outs. Freshman
Louis Silverio loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Senior
Tyler Hibbert walked to drive in FIU's first run. Then with two outs, Garcia delivered the big blow, a three-run triple that nearly cleared the fence. Anderson roped his C-USA-leading seventh double to score Garcia, giving FIU a 5-0 edge after two.
The Panthers added on to their lead in the third inning. Gomez singled and Escarra walked. With one out, Silverio was credited with a hit on a ball that glanced off shortstop Matt Parisi. Gomez scored from second to give FIU a 6-0 lead.
For the eighth time this season and the second time in the game, FIU scored at least five runs in an inning, as it accomplished that in the second and sixth innings. With two outs and the bases loaded, Escarra and Gomez were walked to give FIU an 8-0 lead at that point. McNeill then cleared the bases for his first career hit, a double to the left center field gap to extend the Panther lead to 11-0.
FIU is back in action tomorrow against the Big Green at 4 p.m. Junior Mike Ellis will make the start for the Panthers.
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/.
