Box Score MIAMI (March 14, 2014) – The 19th-ranked FIU baseball team (16-2, 3-1 C-USA) suffered its first Conference USA defeat on Friday night, dropping a 3-2, 13-inning affair to the No. 15 Rice Owls. Rice scored on an RBI single from Michael Aquino in the top of the 13th to steal the win.
FIU nearly won the game in the 12th inning on a bases-loaded, one-out situation. Freshman
Brandon Gomez laced a line-drive to right field, a play that the right fielder came close to catching. With the play being so close, the runner was thrown out at home on the force play to keep the game knotted up at two.
Junior
Mike Franco made another strong start for the Panthers on the mound, going 7 1/3 innings allowing two runs (one earned), three hits and striking out seven batters. The Panther bullpen allowed five hits and an earned run over 5 2/3 innings of work.
Junior
Aramis Garcia extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a double in the loss. Senior
Tyler Hibbert and sophomore
L.K. Thompson each led the Panthers with two hits. Rice was led by good pitching from Zech Lemond and Matt Ditman, who combined to allow 10 hits and struck out 13 FIU batters.
FIU scored its 28th first inning run of the season to take a 1-0 lead. The Panthers had a first and third situation with two outs in the inning. Sophomore
Edwin Rios singled to short to score Hibbert from third, giving the Panthers a 1-0 advantage.
The Panthers would extend their lead in the fourth inning. Freshman J.C. Escarra singled and then advanced on a fielding miscue by the left fielder. Junior
Roche Woodard delivered a one-out single to score Escarra, giving FIU a 2-0 lead.
Rice would nab runs in the fifth and eighth inning to tie the game up at two. The game-winning hit in the 13th inning came on a one-out single from Aquino.
FIU and Rice will face off in the second contest of the three-game series tomorrow. First pitch is slated for 4 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 FIU baseball season are 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 FIU 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/.
