HATTIESBURG, Miss. (May 24, 2015) – The FIU baseball team (29-29) used hot bats and solid pitching to defeat the UAB Blazers (33-25), 8-2, in the Conference USA Baseball Championship Game on Sunday, May 24, from Hattiesburg, Miss.
Led by all-tournament selection
Julius Gaines, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored and junior
Austin Rodriguez, who hit 2-for-3 with three RBI, the Panthers scored eight runs on eight hits versus a UAB pitching staff that allowed just one run in its previous three tournament games. Tournament MVP
Josh Anderson went 1-for-3, including his third home run in the last two games. The FIU third baseman was responsible for driving in two runs.
Sophomore
Chris Mourelle, who earned all-tournament honors, picked up the victory allowing two runs while scattering seven hits in seven innings of action. The right-hander struck out one and walked just one in his seventh win of the season. Mourelle, along with sophomore
Williams Durruthy and junior
Danny Dopico, held UAB to just two runs.
FIU started the game in the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles by junior
Zack Soriaand Gaines. After starting late due to weather, the game was delayed after 11 minutes of action due to an oncoming thunderstorm. One hour and three minutes later, the game resumed and the Panthers continued their offensive output. With the bases loaded sophomore
JC Escarra picked up his seventh RBI of the season with a bases loaded walk. Two batters later, Rodriguez drove in two with a single to center to give FIU a 4-0 lead.
In the third, Anderson blasted his third home run of the tournament, sending the first pitch he saw off the left-field foul pole. The solo shot gave the Panthers a 5-0 lead after three innings. Gaines hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 6-0. After UAB plated a run in the top of the sixth, FIU responded with two runs during its half of the inning as Rodriguez blasted his sixth home run of the season and Gaines drove in freshman
Jack Schaaf from third.
UAB score another run in the top of the seventh but that was as close as the Blazers would get as FIU claimed its first C-USA title and third overall conference crown.
For the tournament, FIU hit .370, scoring 44 runs on 51 hits in four games this past week. In all, FIU had five All-C-USA Championship Team selections as Anderson (MVP), Gaines, Mourelle, junior
Edwin Rios and senior
Brian Portelli earned tournament honors.
The Panthers will next take part in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The 2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Selection Show, with regional pairings, will be revealed in a live, one-hour telecast on ESPNU at Noon (ET), Monday, May 25.
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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. 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/.
