GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 5, 2016) – Freshman
Megan Kugelmann (Merritt Island, Florida / Cocoa Beach HS) tossed her second no-hitter in as many weeks, this time taking out Florida A&M in an 8-0 win in six innings to conclude day two of the Aquafina UF Invitational Saturday night, hosted by the University of Florida.
Kugelmann, who tossed a no-hitter at home the previous Saturday against Central Connecticut State, allowed just one walk and saw two more basreunners due to FIU errors in the game. Kugelmann improved to 3-1 on the season.
It was the Panthers' first win of the weekend, for a 12-8 overall record, after dropping a pair of games to No. 1 Florida and an 8-4 loss to Illinois State on Friday.
The Rattlers are 5-2.
Offensively, the Panthers got on the board first in the opening inning. Freshman
Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida / Lakewood Ranch HS) reached base with an infield single to third, then reached second on a wild pitch. Junior
Gabby Spallone (Miami, Florida / Miami Palmetto HS) reached base on an error on the A&M shortstop, scoring Schoff. Spallone later scored on an attempted double steal for the 2-0 lead.
FIU got more runs in the third. The Panthers got things started when Schoff singled to the pitcher and later stole second. Junior
Ashley Leon (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep HS) got aboard on an infield error, scoring Schoff. Spallone then drove in Leon with a triple to right center. She scored later in the frame on an infield error for the 5-0 edge.
In the fourth, senior
Dominique Grossman (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep) walked and stole second. Sophomore
Jessica Hallett (Phoenix, Arizona) hit an RBI-single to drive in Grossman.
The game ended in the sixth with the eight-run mercy rule. Spallone was hit by pitch and later scored on an infield error and senior
Aleima Lopez (Deltona, Florida / Delton HS) scored the game-ending run when sophomore
Michaela Mills (Hastings, Minnesota) drove her in with an RBI single to center.
Rattlers' starter Veroni Burse took the loss after three innings. She allowed three hits and one walk, allowing five runs, one of them earned.
The Panthers will finish the weekend Sunday, as they take on South Alabama at 9 a.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/.
