Gainesville, Fla. (March 4, 2016) – After scoring four quick runs, the tides turned for the FIU softball team, and they lost late to Illinois State to open the Aquafina UF Invitational Friday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. With one game each left to play today, the Panthers are 11-6, while the Redbirds improve to 4-11.
In the first inning, junior
Ashley Leon (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep / Auburn University) reached base with an infield single. Junior
Gabby Spallone (Miami, Florida / Palmetto HS) then followed with an infield single to second and both runners advanced a base due to a throwing error, placing both in scoring position. Senior
Aleima Lopez (Deltona, Florida / Deltona HS) sent a two-RBI single up the middle to FIU a 2-0 lead.
The bottom of the third saw Leon reach base with her second hit of the game, straight back to the pitcher. Spallone then got on base after a hit-by-pitch. After a Lopez groundout moved both runners into scoring position again, junior
Dani Mowry (Cocoa, Florida / Space Coast HS) hit a two-RBI double into deep center field, pushing the Panthers lead to 4-0.
The Redbirds scored the next eight runs to take the victory over the young Panthers pitching staff.
Illinois State found their footing in the top of the fourth with five hits, including a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, an RBI double and an RBI single in the frame to tie the score at four.
That ended the day for freshman
Abby Summers (Weston, Missouri), who did not get a decision in the contest.
Freshman
Megan Kugelmann (Merritt Island, Florida / Cocoa Beach HS) replaced her in the fifth, and retired the first three batters he faced, but the Redbirds got the lead in the sixth on a single, stolen base and double for the 5-4 edge. Illinois State score three more runs off of Kugelmann and reliever
Rachel Dwyer (Tampa, Florida / Chamberlain HS, University of Virginia) in the seventh in the win.
Kugelmann took the loss, dropping her to 2-1. She gave up three runs on four hits and a walk, with a pair of strikeouts. Summers allowed six hits and four runs, all earned, in four innings.
The Panthers will return to action later today, as they take on No. 1 University of Florida, with first pitch at 6 p.m.
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/.
