Andrew Dundon singled home T.J. Diffenderfer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Marshall a 5-4 win over FIU early Saturday evening and even the three-game series at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, West Virginia.
After getting the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, FIU closer
Danny Dopico (1-3) walked Diffenderfer. DJ Gee followed with a double before Dundon's game-winning hit. Marshall left-hander Caleb Ross (2-2) picked up the win with 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings.
FIU was down 4-0 before rallying to tie the score.
Austin Rodriguez's RBI single in the fourth plated the first run.
Edwin Rios hit a solo home run in the sixth to make it 4-2. It was Rios's team-leading seventh home run of the season.
Julius Gaines tied the score with a two-run single in the seventh.
Andres Nunez started for FIU and was pulled after 2 2/3 innings. Nunez allowed five hits and four runs.
Brandon Diaz and
David Lee combined for 4 1/3 shutout relief innings to keep the Panthers in the game.
With the loss FIU dropped to 12-15 overall and 4-4 in Conference USA play. Marshall is now 8-17 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
The teams decide the series Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.?
##### Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUBaseball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUBaseball) for all the latest FIU Baseball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics). #####About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium. About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu.
