Chris Mourelle dominated for 8 1/3 innings and FIU got timely hits from
Jack Schaaf and
Edwin Rios to lift the Panthers to a 3-1 win over Marshall Sunday afternoon at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, West Virginia.
With the win FIU took the three-game set from Marshall and improved to 13-15 overall and 5-4 in Conference USA. The Thundering Herd dropped to 8-18 and 2-7 in conference play.
Mourelle took a four-hit shutout into the ninth inning before the Herd scratched out their only run off the sophomore right-hander. Mourelle (5-2), the reigning Conference USA Freshman of the Year, allowed six hits, one run, two walks and struck out five batters to record the win. Michael Taylor (1-2) was saddled with the loss for Marshall.
Schaaf snapped a scoreless game in the top of the fifth inning.
Rey Perez led off the inning with a walk and sprinted home when Schaaf lined a double into the left field corner.
Brian Portelli's RBI groundout in the seventh again scored Perez, who led off that inning with a walk.
Edwin Rios capped the Panthers scoring in the ninth with his eighth home run of the season. The solo shot was a high arcing drive well over the right field wall.
Danny Dopico relieved Mourelle with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Dopico inherited runner s on first and second base. Pinch-hitter Ryne Dean was the first batter to face the FIU closer. Dean sat on a first-pitch fastball and yanked a long drive just foul of the right field foul pole that brought the Marshall team out of its dugout thinking it was a walk-off three-run home run.
Dopico eventually struck out Dean looking and got Andrew Dundon to ground out to record his fifth save of the season.
FIU now returns home for the month of April. The Panthers next take on Bethune-Cookman at the FIU ballpark Tuesday, March 31 with first pitch slated for 6 p.m.
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