MIAMI (Feb. 28, 2015) – The FIU softball team (13-9) split two games on Saturday evening, first falling to the Michigan State Spartans, 4-3, in a nail bitter before coming back to beat the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, 5-4.
 
Michigan State 4, FIU 3
Senior Shelby Graves (4-3) went 4.2 innings and struck out five batters, while only allowing seven hits. She shut down the Spartans, including retiring 10-straight, before being chased from the game in the fourth inning.
 
A quick strikeout by Graves opened the ballgame before the Spartans' two-hole batter sent a double to deep center field. After advancing to third on a passed ball, McKinzie Fremouth scored on a groundout to second. Another fanned batter by Graves ended the inning.
 
With two in scoring position in the top of the second, sophomore Ashley Leon made a run-saving stop at second base as she slid to her right for a difficult 4-3 putout, which stranded two Spartan base runners.
 
Freshman Ashley Belans stretched a likely long single into a one-out double in the home half of the third and eventually stood on third after a groundout by redshirt Marisa McGregor. Senior Rebekah Sanchez was robbed on a great defensive play by the Spartans to strand Belans at third.
 
The Panthers broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Leon led off with a single and stole her team-leading sixth bag and scored easily off an RBI double to center by sophomore Stephanie Texeira. She scored on senior Krystal Garcia's triple down the right field line. Graves helped herself out with a triple of her own to plate Garcia, which gave FIU a 3-1 cushion.
 
Graves continued to cruise through the Spartans lineup and retired 10-straight batters before Michigan State did some two out damage in the fifth, plating three runs and eventually taking back a 4-3 lead. The Panthers looked to have a good opportunity in the bottom half when Leon singled and Texeira roped a base hit to right, but FIU came up empty.
 
FIU looked to create a good situation in the seventh when Belans beat out an infield single by less than one step. In a close play at second, she was called out on junior Dominique Grossman's sacrifice bunt attempt. From there, Michigan State was able to hold FIU.
 
FIU 5, Bethune-Cookman 4
Junior Corinne Jenkins (6-6) went the distance in the win, striking out a season-high-tying eight batters.
 
The Wildcats were able to tab Jenkins for three runs in the bottom of the second to jump ahead, 3-0. Following a solo-shot to Shamaria Engram, two more runs came across via a bases loaded walk and a bloop single to left field.
 
Texeira ended a scoreless ballgame for the Panthers with a double to center field in the third, which scored Leon all the way from first, to cut the deficit to 3-1. Garcia then led off the fourth with a double down the line and left but was thrown out at the plate.
 
Sophomore Brianne Kimura pinch hit to lead off the fifth inning and singled to left field. She stole her first career base and advanced to third before coming home on an RBI single by Sanchez, which trimmed the Wildcats' lead to just one run. After keeping Bethune-Cookman at bay in the bottom of the fifth, Belans tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth with a single up the middle.
 
After an abbreviated rain delay in the middle of the sixth, the Wildcats were able to manufacture the go-ahead run. Late-inning heroics by FIU's No. 3 and No. 4 batters gave the Panthers back the lead with one out in the seventh. Leon bunted her way onto the base paths and capitalized off a two-bag error to reach third. Back-to-back doubles roped to center by Texeira and sophomore Gabby Spallone gave FIU a one-run lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
 
 
FIU closes out the Felsberg Invitational tomorrow with another pair versus the Spartans and Wildcats. First pitch is set for 10 am from Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium.
 
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/.