MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2015) – The FIU softball team (11-6) closed out the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational with a dominating, 15-2, win over North Dakota on Sunday afternoon.
 
Senior Shelby Graves (3-2) controlled the first three innings in the circle for FIU, striking out five of the 12 batters she faced, while only allowing three hits. Freshman Rachel Dwyer came in for the final two innings of work, and posted two scoreless frames.
 
Two Panthers belted their first career home runs in the effort, with junior Dominique Grossman (2-for-2, 2 RBI) taking North Dakota deep in the first inning, while freshman Jessica Hallett (1-1, 2 RBI) went yard in the fourth frame. Both shots were two-run home runs and it stands as the first multi-RBI game in both of their careers, as well.
 
Sophomore Gabby Spallone also had a productive day at the plate, going 2-for-3 and picking up her second four-RBI game during the tournament. Freshman Erin Eiland (2-for-3, 1 RBI) looked good off the bench, coming into the game in the second inning, grabbing her first career RBI and picking up her first career multi-hit game.
 
The Panthers sent all nine of their batters to the plate in the first inning and put up an early five-spot on North Dakota, marking the fifth time this season FIU has plated two-or-more runs in the opening frame of the game. With two in scoring position for Spallone, the Miami native cleared the bases on a two-RBI single, with the second run coming across courtesy of an error on North Dakota's catcher. Senior Krystal Garcia then plated Spallone off her sixth extra-base hit this season. The inning was capped off by Grossman's home run over the wall in right.
 
Graves retired the first five batters she faced, including ringing up the first two from North Dakota in the second inning before surrendering a two-out double. She then struck out North Dakota's No. 7 batter to pick up her third strikeout of the game.
 
The Panthers broke the game open in the third inning, jumping ahead 11-0 and batting around for the second time in three innings. Four different Panthers drove in at least one run, with Eiland colleting her first collegiate RBI off a single to left field. North Dakota was able to avoid the shut out in the bottom half of the frame, plating two to make it 11-2.
 
FIU's offense tabulated its third multi-run inning of the game in the fourth inning, taking a convincing 15-2 lead. Sophomore Sammi Green plated the first run of her career in the fourth inning off a single to center, which scored freshman Ashley Belans from second base. Also finding her first RBI in a Panther uniform was freshman Hailey Tillapaugh, whose sacrifice fly to deep center brought home the tagging Eiland.
 
 Dwyer pitched the fourth and fifth innings for FIU and needed just 18 pitches to grab the six outs.
 
FIU is back home this weekend, as the Panthers host the Panther Invitational Feb. 27 through March 1.
 
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 the FIU Football Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers 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 contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.