After a rare off start last week at No. 24 Ole Miss, FIU right-hander Chris Mourelle delivered a vintage performance Saturday night in a 5-1 victory against Seton Hall at the FIU ballpark. Mourelle (1-1) limited the Pirates to one run in 5 2/3 innings pitched to record his first win of the season. The junior right-hander scattered seven hits and struck out five batters. FIU has now taken the first two games of the four-game series with Seton Hall. 

Seton Hall got a double from Zack Weigel and an RBI single from Joe Poduslenko in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. However, after the Poduslenko hit, Mourelle retired 10 of the next 13 Pirate batters to take control. Mourelle was lifted with two outs in the sixth inning with runners at second and third base. Left-hander Dominic LoBrutto entered the game and stranded the two Pirates baserunners when he got Matt Fortin to ground out to second base. LoBrutto pitched scoreless ball over the final 3 1/3 innings to record his first FIU save.

FIU built its lead with single runs in the first, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

The Panthers tied the score in the bottom of the first on singles from Irving Lopez and JC Escarra with Escarra driving home Lopez after Zack Soria grounded into a fielder's choice. FIU took the lead for good in the fourth after Kenny Meimerstorf tripled off the right field wall and Kolby Follis brought home Meimerstorf on a squeeze bunt.

Soria got plunked to lead off the fifth and scored on a triple by Austin Rodriguez to the right field corner. That made the score 3-1.

Follis was 2 for 2 to raise his batting average to .615 (8 for 13) on the season. Rodriguez was 2 for 4 and Meimerstorf was 2 for 3. FIU collected double-digit hits (10) for the third consecutive game after totaling 16 hits against Missouri Wednesday and 14 hits against the Pirates Friday.

The Panthers and the Pirates resume their four-game series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m from the FIU ballpark. Right-hander Garrett Cave is the scheduled starter for FIU. Seton Hall is expected to throw right-hander Zach Prendergast. The game will be broadcast on PantherVision2 and the FIU Sports Radio Network.