For the second straight night Old Dominion struck for four runs in the top of the first inning against FIU. However, on Saturday night the Monarchs made the lead stick as they went on to a 10-2 win at the FIU ballpark.

With the victory, the Monarchs (22-10, 5-6 Conference USA) have taken the first two games of the three-game set with the Panthers (15-18, 4-7 C-USA). ODU has now won seven of nine games from FIU in the all-time series that began in 2014.

ODU got four runs and six hits off FIU starter Chris Mourelle (4-3) in the first frame. FIU cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the first inning on RBI singles by Nick Day and Kenny Meimerstorf off Victor Diaz (4-2) but that was the only scoring the Panthers produced for the game.

Diaz went five innings, allowed 11 hits and two runs. Grayson Bailey pitched the final four innings to record his second save. Bailey allowed no hits in his relief appearance.

Friday night FIU stormed back from down 9-0 to ODU to take an 11-9 lead before falling 12-11. Saturday night the Panthers never tied the score and could only muster six singles the rest of the way.

The Monarchs tacked on three runs in both the eighth and ninth innings to score in double digits for the second consecutive game. ODU had 15 hits. FIU collected 11 hits but 10 of them were singles. FIU's lone extra base hit was a double by Zack Soria in the first inning.

Mourelle recovered after the rocky first inning to retire 10 consecutive batters. In that stretch, the junior right-hander set down 17 of 18 batters he faced after the first inning. Mourelle went seven-plus innings, allowed nine hits and five earned runs.

Soria, Zach Files, Day and Meimerstorf each had two hits for FIU.

FIU will try to avoid the sweep against ODU at 12 p.m. Sunday. The game can be heard on the FIU Sports Radio Network. There is no PantherVision broadcast of Sunday's series finale.