Box Score GREENVILLE, N.C. (May 2, 2014) – Junior Mike Franco tossed his fourth complete game of the 2014 season in FIU's (32-12, 12-10) 7-1 victory over East Carolina (28-19, 13-9) on Friday night. Junior Brian Portelli homered in the win.
 
Franco improves to 8-2 on the year and currently boasts an ERA of 0.96. The junior surrendered just one earned run, while striking out seven and not walking a batter. Senior Tyler Hibbert went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a triple in the victory. Freshman J.C. Escarra collected two hits, drove in one run and scored twice.
 
Junior Julius Gaines got things started with a one-out walk in the first, which was then followed by a Josh Anderson double to the left center field gap. Then with runners on second and third, Rios drove in his 32nd run of the season on a groundout to second, scoring Gaines from third.
 
Portelli's long ball was his second of the year, a shot over the left field wall to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the second.
 
The Panthers tacked on two key runs in the top of the fifth. With two outs and nobody on, Escarra singled up the middle. He then scored on an RBI triple by Hibbert to up FIU's lead to 3-0. Gaines followed up with an RBI double to right, plating Hibbert for FIU's fourth run.
 
The minimal damage Franco allowed came in the bottom of the fifth. ECU's Bryce Harman reached on an infield hit and scored on a two-out RBI single from Hunter Allen.
 
FIU added some insurance in the top of the ninth. Junior Roche Woodard started things off with an RBI single, followed by an RBI single from Escarra and an RBI single from Hibbert.
 
FIU and East Carolina are back in action at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow. The game will be broadcasted nationally on Fox Sports. Fans in South Florida can tune into Sun Sports to watch the game live.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@o) 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).
 
#####
 
Fans can purchase tickets online, over the phone by calling 305-FIU-GAME, or in person at the R. Kirk Landon Fieldhouse Box Office. Tickets cost just $5 and group pricing is available for groups of 20 or more. Student admission is free to all FIU baseball home games.
 
#####                                                                                          
 
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 at the FIU Football 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/.