GULF SHORES, Ala. (Feb. 5, 2015) – The FIU softball team (1-0) opened the 2015 season with a convincing 8-1 win on Thursday evening as part of the opening round of the Sand Dollar Classic.
Junior ace
Corinne Jenkins went the distance for FIU, striking out two in her 26
th-career complete game.
Sophomore
Stephanie Texeira led the Panthers offense with a 2-for-3 performance and four RBI. Auburn transfer
Ashley Leon made an instant impact in FIU's lineup, going 2-for-3 and stealing a base.
The Cougars were able to work a run home in the first inning off of two hits before Jenkins settled down to retire the side. In the bottom of the frame, Leon showcased her speed by beating out a dribbler sent to short. In her first at bat of 2015, Texeira launched the fifth pitch she saw over the fence in left field for her first home run of the young season, giving the Panthers a 2-1 lead after one frame.
FIU broke the game open in the second inning, plating five runs off of six hits. Freshman
Ashley Belans drove in two off a double hit to left-center, as part of the Hollywood, Fla., native's first career at-bat. After Leon beat out her second infield hit of the night, Texeira plated two more RBI off a double that reached the wall in center, which gave the Panthers' a 7-1 lead after two innings.
An error gifted Houston a leadoff baserunner to open the fifth inning, while a one out single hit deep into the hole at short gave the cougars two on and one in scoring position. Jenkins jammed the next two batters she faced, forcing both to hit shallow fly-outs. In the bottom of the inning, senior
Krystal Garcia was able to sneak home by way of a rundown at second base.
The Cougars threatened in the top of the sixth with another two-on situation, but junior
Dominique Grossman pulled in a fly ball in deep right field.
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 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 contributes $8.9 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/.
