MIAMI (March 21, 2015) – The FIU softball team (20-13, 3-5 C-USA) was unable to close the door on Saturday, as the North Texas Mean Green used last-inning heroics in two games to hand the Panthers, 6-4 and 5-4 (8) losses.
 
North Texas 6, FIU 4
Junior Corinne Jenkins (12-6) went 6.1 innings in the loss, striking out four and allowing 11 hits. Sophomore Brianna Bartuccio came in for the final two-thirds of an inning and struck out one.
 
Jenkins worked out of some early first inning trouble following a solo home run to North Texas' Kat Strunk. With two in scoring position, she picked up a big-time caught-looking strikeout to end frame. The righty settled into her zone in the second inning and picked up two strikeouts before surrendering another solo shot in the third.
 
The Mean Green led 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third, where senior Rebekah Sanchez reached on a rifle to third base and sophomore Ashley Leon battled back from two strikes to send a base hit back up the middle. A walk to sophomore Gabby Spallone loaded the bases and put the Panthers in a nice position, but they were unable to capitalize and left three stranded.
 
Jenkins continued to keep FIU in the game with an inning-ending strikeout in the top of the fourth. Junior Aleima Lopez led off the bottom half with a single through the left side and was replaced at first base by pinch runner Marissa McGregor. Following a putout that advanced McGregor to second, freshman Ashley Belans drove her home off a timely two-out single and cut the deficit to 2-1.
 
The Panthers were able to get out of a tough fifth inning with only surrendering one run. After North Texas loaded the bases to open the frame, Leon nailed the lead runner out at the plate for the first out. Following a sacrifice fly, Spallone pulled in the final out to strand two on the base paths.
 
Leon made it a two-hit day when she singled to center field to open the bottom of the fifth. She advanced to second off a wild pitch by North Texas' Sarah Underwood. With sophomore Stephanie Texeira at the plate and the Mean Green looking to pitch around the slugger, she stepped into the outside pitch for an RBI single to center, plating Leon.
 
After surrendering their fourth run to North Texas in the visiting half of the sixth, the Panthers used a two-out double by Spallone to send the game tied at 4-4 heading into the seventh inning. Belans reached to lead off for FIU, while a two-out walk to Texeira put two on for Spallone. The Miami native converted off her 10^th double of the season, which scored both Panthers on base.
 
North Texas drove in the go ahead run in the top of the seventh off a bases-clearing double.
 
North Texas 5, FIU 4 (8)
Freshman Rachel Dwyer (2-0) went a strong 6.2 innings with three strikeouts before turning the game over to senior Shelby Graves (4-7). Graves entered for relief in the top of the seventh with two outs and picked up a crucial strikeout.
 
North Texas capitalized off three runs in the first inning, with Strunk hitting her second first inning home run in as many games. Freshman Kaitlyn Musa ended the visiting half of the second with a caught-stealing toss-out at second base.
 
The Panthers' offense struggled to manufacture any momentum in its first two chances at the plate, as just two reached base and failed to get past first base. Following a 10-pitch walk to freshman Jessica Hallett and a single by Belans, two were in scoring position for Leon after Sanchez laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners. Leon tagged the ball to center field for a double, which plate both runners and sent the game into the fourth inning, 3-2, where Dwyer made quick work of the Mean Green and picked up two strikeouts.
 
Leon led off the sixth with an easy triple to the wall in right field and scored off Texeira's sacrifice hit. Spallone sent the game into the final frame knotted at 4-all off her fourth home run of the season. With one on and two outs, Graves came into the game in relief of Dwyer and picked up an inning-ending strikeout to send the game into the bottom of the seventh knotted at 4-4.
 
Graves turned around and led off with a single down the line in left and advanced to second off a strong sacrifice bunt that flirted with foul territory by Hallett. She would be 60 feet away from scoring, but a great play in right field sent the game into extra frames.
 
After North Texas went ahead in the top of the eighth, Texeira and Spallone roped one-out singles to left and center field, but the Panthers fell in extras.
 
FIU and North Texas end the series tomorrow, with first pitch from Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium slated to begin at 1 p.m. ET.
 
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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/.