Box Score MIAMI (March 15, 2014) – The FIU baseball team (16-3, 3-2) surrendered four runs in the third and four runs in the fourth to 15th-ranked Rice, resulting in a 10-2 victory for the Owls on Saturday afternoon.
Junior catcher
Aramis Garcia tied his career-high hitting streak at 13 games as he raked three hits on the afternoon, including his seventh double of 2014. Senior
Tyler Hibbert and junior
Brian Portelli each collected two hits in the loss. FIU had 10 hits as a team, but only managed to score a run in the second and eighth inning.
The Panthers struck first in the second, as freshman
Brandon Gomez, freshman
Gunnar McNeill and Portelli each reached on base-hits to load the bases with one out. Junior
Roche Woodard grounded out into a fielder's choice to give FIU a 1-0 lead, but that is all the Panthers would get in the second.
After having a four-run, three-hit third inning to take a 4-1 lead, the Owls would follow that up with a four-run fourth to create separation. The Panthers had two fielding errors in the fourth, resulting in three unearned runs. Rice would add on one in the seventh and one in the eighth to extend its lead to 10-1.
Garcia continued his hot hitting in the 8th with a leadoff single. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and groundout, leading to a sac-fly for sophomore
Edwin Rios, cutting the Owl lead to 10-2.
FIU is back in action tomorrow at 11 a.m. against the Owls. Junior
Robby Kalaf will make the start for FIU.
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/.
