Box Score CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 9, 2014) – The FIU baseball team (15-1, 3-0 C-USA) is off to its second best 16-game start in school history, as the Panthers earned an 8-0 victory over Charlotte on Sunday to sweep the series. Junior pitcher Robby Kalaf allowed just two hits in seven innings of work, striking out eight batters and walking four.
 
Junior catcher Aramis Garcia belted his third home run of the weekend, a three-run shot, in the win. Senior Tyler Hibbert, junior Josh Anderson and junior Roche Woodard each recorded two hits in the win.
 
FIU's first two batters reached in the second, as Anderson walked and sophomore Edwin Rios singled. Freshman J.C. Escarra successfully laid down a sac-bunt, setting things up for an RBI groundout for Woodard.
 
Anderson led off the fourth inning with a walk, which was then followed by two-straight outs. With two outs, Woodard singled up the middle to put Anderson on second. Freshman Brandon Gomez delivered the big hit, a double scorched down the left field line to score Anderson and put Woodard on third. Woodard would then score on a wild pitch to give FIU a 3-0 lead.
 
Charlotte provided a scare in the bottom of the fourth. With one runner on first, the 49ers' Brett Lang doubled to the right center field gap. However, a 7-6-2 relay throw from Woodard to Gaines to Garcia nailed the runner at home to keep the 49ers scoreless.
 
FIU continued its hot two-out hitting in the seventh inning. Woodard tallied his second hit of the game and Gomez advanced him on a sac-bunt. Hibbert then came through with a two-out RBI single to give FIU an insurance run and a 4-0 lead. Anderson recorded his second hit of the day in the eighth inning and would eventually score on an error to make it 5-0 in favor of the Panthers.
 
The two-out hitting continued, as Garcia closed out the win with a three-run homer in the ninth inning to increase FIU's lead to 8-0.
 
Sophomore Charles Cormier, senior Mitchell Davis and senior Mike Gomez combined to pitch the eighth and the ninth to seal the shutout for FIU.
 
The Panthers will travel to USF on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. matchup with the Bulls.
 
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 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/.