Game One: Box Score (HTML)

Game Two: Box Score (HTML)

BOCA RATON, Fla. (April 5, 2014) – In its first ever match-up as members of Conference USA, the FIU softball team (24-16, 6-5) split a Saturday doubleheader with the Florida Atlantic Owls, first dropping a pitchers' duel, 1-0, before taking the nightcap, 3-2.

Game One: Florida Atlantic 1, FIU 0
Sophomore Corinne Jenkins pitched a gem, but got tagged with the loss, moving her to 12-6 for the season. A pitchers' duel through all seven innings, Jenkins surrendered only five hits, while punching out two. The lone run of the ballgame was unearned, which lowered the Sarasota, Fla., native's ERA to 2.54. She retired seven-straight, carrying her into the fourth inning. 

The Owls saw the game's first scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fourth and led off with a single through the middle. With two outs and a runner on second, Florida Atlantic's Mickey Bell laced the ball to third, resulting in an E-5 that kicked back to the edge of the outfield. Junior shortstop Krystal Garcia grabbed the ball and went 6-2, beating the runner trying for home by two steps, preserving a scoreless ballgame. 

FIU doubled its hits total in the top of the seventh, with freshmen Stephanie Texeira and Gabby Spallone going back-to-back to center field and left field. A hard hit ball going in the direction of the Owls' second baseman would erase the Panthers' only scoring opportunity of the game. 

A single and an error put the winning run 60 feet away for the Owls with one out in the seventh. Florida Atlantic went on to take the game on a suicide squeeze.

Game Two: FIU 3, Florida Atlantic 2
Junior Shelby Graves picked up a career-best 11th win, limiting the Owls to just two runs on eight hits. Jenkins picked up her third save of the season in the victory. 

Senior Bre Kaye went 3-for-3 with two RBI, while stealing her 17th bag of the season, moving her into a third place tie within the conference. It's the second time this season the second baseman has had a three-hit game. 

Graves provided herself with some run insurance in the second inning, coming inches away from a two-run home run. Instead the Temecula, Calif., native grabbed her third double of the season and plated sophomore Aleima Lopez, who walked. FIU would load the bases in the inning after Kaye beat out an infield single and junior Rebekah Sanchez walked, but the Panthers would be unable to push any more runs across. Lopez would go on and end the bottom of the frame. Lopez ended the bottom of the frame by nailing her eighth runner trying to steal a base.

The Panthers were cooking again in the sixth. Garcia led off the inning with a single. Lopez then capitalized off an E-3 and put two on for FIU. With two outs, Kaye delivered a bases clearing base hit, upping the Panthers' lead to 3-0.

Florida Atlantic got a run back in the sixth inning and again in the seventh inning. With two outs and two on for the Owls, Jenkins came in to close the game, getting the only batter she faced to go down swinging.

The rubber match of the series is set for 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUSoftball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSoftball) for all the latest FIU Softball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics)
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of Conference USA. 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 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's 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 and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. 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/.