DENTON, Texas (April 3, 2016) -- Sophomore shortstop A.J. Belans (Hollywood, Florida / American Heritage HS) blasted two of FIU's four home runs and posted career highs with four hits and six RBI as the Panthers completed a weekend road sweep of North Texas, 12-3 Sunday in Conference USA action. The Panthers pushed their season record to 21-17, 7-5 in Conference USA. The Mean Green slipped to 18-16, 3-9 in conference. The sweep is FIU's second of the season in league, and the first on the road since at Southern Miss to end the 2014 season, on May 3-4.
 
It was a season-high home-run total for the Panthers, and the fourth time this season that a Panther hit a pair of homers in a single game. It was Belans' team-best third time with two homers in a game this season. She has seven. The Panthers also hit back-to-back homers in the fifth, the first time FIU pulled off that feat this season, and the first time since a 7-0 win over North Texas in Miami on April 26, 2014. For the series, FIU hit six home runs, the most they have hit off of a single opponent this season.
 
FIU scored four runs in both the first and second innings. Junior outfielder Gabby Spallone (Miami, Florida / Palmetto HS) singled in the first run of the game to right field, scoring freshman outfielder Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida / Lakewood Ranch HS), who singled to center to start the game. Belans' first home run, pushing across three runs, increased the FIU lead to 4-0 before the Mean Green had an opening at bat.
 
The Mean Green were able to score a run on a leadoff homer from league home run leader Kelli Schlade, her 12^th of the season, before another offensive explosion in the second by FIU.
 
Junior second baseman Ashley Leon (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep / Auburn University) drove in a pair of runs after two singles and a groundout started the inning. She later got to third before FIU home run leader Stephanie Texeira (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep) hit her tenth of the year on a full-count pitch to left. She became the ninth player to hit 10 or more home runs in a single season at FIU, and the third person (Monique White, Ashley McClain were the others) to do it twice. She is now four home runs away from tying the school record of 33 for her career, and her total of 10 is tied for the eighth-most in a season in school history.
 
The Mean Green got a second run back in the third on two hits and their final run in the fourth on three hits.
 
FIU reasserted itself in the fifth with the back-to-back homers, the first by junior third baseman Dani Mowry (Cocoa, Florida / Space Coast HS) to lead off the inning. Belans followed with a base knock off a 2-2 pitcher then went out to left and her third hit of the day.
 
The Panthers scored two more times in the sixth on a Belans two-RBI single to set her career-high single-game totals for hits and RBI with two outs.
 
UNT failed to score in the fifth and sixth innings, allowing the Panthers to take the victory by virtue of the eight-run rule.
 
FIU Reliever Abby Summers (Weston, Missouri) got the win (7-5), allowing two hits and two walks, striking out three. It was her second win of the week in a relief role and she moved into the team lead with the seventh victory. Starter Corrine Jenkins (Sarasota, Florida / Riverview HS) did not get a decision, after tossing 3.1 innings, allowing five hits, two walks and three earned runs, while striking out three batters. Jenkins leads the Panthers with three league wins, with Summers right behind at two.
 
The loss went to UNT starter Stacey Underwood (6-7), who allowed nine hits, two walks and 10 earned runs in 2.1 innings pitched.
 
Belans became the second player to breach the 30-RBI mark for the Panthers this weekend. Her eight for the series gives her 31 for the year, three behind Texeira, whose five over the three games put her at 34. Texeira leads the team in both categories, with Belans in second on the squad for both.
 
FIU will return home for its lone home series for the month of April, a three-game set with league-leader, No. 23 Florida Atlantic. The Saturday doubleheader, of which the opening game only will be televised by FSN, starts at 1 p.m.

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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/.