Box Score TAMPA, Fla. (March 12, 2014) – A five-run seventh inning helped lift the 19th-ranked FIU baseball team (16-1, 3-0) to an 8-2 victory over USF on Wednesday night. The Panthers collected 18 hits in the victory, the third most this season
 
Sophomore reliever Charles Cormier earned his first career victory, pitching 2 2/3  innings of one-hit ball. He relieved freshman starter Chris Mourelle, who was solid, tossing 5 2/3 innings, giving up four hits and one earned run. Freshman Brandon Gomez went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and RBI. Junior Aramis Garcia was 3-for-6 with two doubles and a run scored. Junior Julius Gaines and sophomore Edwin Rios each had three hits as well. Junior Brian Portelli collected the first two hits of his career.
 
FIU jumped on Bulls starter Jimmy Herget in the first inning, who entered Wednesday night's contest with a 0.38 ERA in 24.0 innings pitched. Gaines singled with one out and Garcia followed that up with a double down the left field line. Junior Josh Anderson had his ground ball muffed by the first baseman to give FIU a 1-0 lead. Rios followed that with an RBI single to give FIU a 2-0 advantage.
 
USF scored two, one in the second and another in the fifth. The Bulls' second inning run came on a fielding error by the Panthers on an infield pop up. The fifth inning run came on an RBI single up the middle from Nik Alfonso to knot the game up at two.
 
In the seventh inning, Gaines singled with one out, followed by Garcia's second double of the game. Anderson was intentionally walked, which loaded the bases and forced a pitching change for the Bulls. With the lefty-on-lefty matchup, Rios bounced a single over the first baseman's head, scoring Gaines to give FIU a 3-2 edge. Two bases loaded walks allow for the Panthers to go up 5-2. Portelli's first career hit was a big one, as he shot a pinch-hit, two-run single the other way to extend the FIU advantage to 7-2.
 
Senior Tyler Hibbert added an RBI single in the top of the ninth to up FIU's lead to 8-2.
 
The Panthers now turn to a huge three-game series with Rice this weekend. FIU will host in the first game of the three-game set at 6 p.m. on Friday. The first 50 fans in attendance will receive an FIU St. Patrick's Day hat. Saturday's game is slated for 4 p.m. first pitch. All fans in attendance will receive a free FIU baseball poster and will be entered for a chance to win tickets to see 2Chainz live.
 
Sunday's series finale will begin at 11:00 a.m. and will feature Grand Slam Sunday. For $20, fans can receive four (4) tickets, four (4) hot dogs, four (4) sodas, and a large popcorn. Purchase your Grand Slam Sunday package by calling 305-FIU-GAME, logging on to FIUSports.com (Promo Code: FAMILY), or visiting the University Credit Union Box Office, located at the R. Kirk Landon Fieldhouse. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 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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icket 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/