GULF SHORES, Ala. (Feb. 6, 2015) – The FIU softball team (2-1) fell to the McNeese State Cowgirls, 3-2, on Friday afternoon, courtesy of a pinch-hit homerun in the bottom of the sixth inning
Junior
Corinne Jenkins got the start for FIU and saw limited trouble before the fifth inning as the Sarasota, Fla., native punched out five in the effort. Senior
Shelby Graves was tagged with the loss.
Sophomore
Stephanie Texeira belted a two-run home run in her first at bat of the game for the second time in three contests, giving the Panthers an early 2-0 lead. Senior
Rebekah Sanchez walked to lead off the game before Texeira's homer drove her home. McNeese was able to put two in scoring position in the bottom of the first, but Jenkins forced the Cowgirls' cleanup batter to go down swinging to end the two-on threat.
Jenkins cruised through the third inning before FIU ran into a little trouble in the third. With a runner on second, freshman
Ashley Belans registered the 6-3 putout of Bryanna Castro to end the inning. From there, Jenkins cruised through the fourth inning, picking up two more strikeouts in the process.
The McNeese State bats finally broke Jenkins in the fifth inning after working the bases loaded. With Graves in for relief, the damage was limited to just one run, which came off a sacrifice fly to left field. Senior
Krystal Garcia got the Panthers out of the inning on an unassisted putout at third.
A pinch-hit two-run home run by McNeese State's Rachel Smith put the Cowgirls ahead, 3-2, in the sixth inning.
FIU returns to the field tomorrow for a pair, first versus Eastern Kentucky at 1 p.m. ET before a showdown with No. 3/4 Alabama at 7 p.m. ET.
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/.
