GAINESVILLE (Feb. 18, 2017) -- Sophomore Abby Summers (Weston, Missouri) tossed a six-hit shutout as FIU won its seventh-straight game in an 8-0 victory over Florida A&M Saturday afternoon from the Aquafina Invitational in Gainesville. The shutout is the third of the season for the Panthers, and a second-straight win of Florida A&M, after winning 12-1 Friday afternoon.
 
Three Panthers recorded two hits and at least two RBI, with a three-RBI night from senior Stephanie Texeira (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep)
 
FIU got the jump on the Rattlers with four runs in the first frame and never looked back. With two on and one out, Texeira singled to left to drive in a run and start the scoring. After a walk, freshman Jessica Rivera (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep), doubled to right center, to score two more runs. The next batter, freshman Jocelin Soto (Oxnard, California), hit an RBI groundout to finish the scoring in the frame.
 
The Panthers tacked on another run in the second when Kasandra Castle (Lake Worth, Florida / Palm Beach Central) singled in sophomore Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida / Lakewood Ranch) with two outs.
 
Texeira drove in two more runs in the fourth, after the Rattlers allowed two one-out walks.
 
A two-out Rivera double in the seventh turned into the final run of the game when Soto singled for her first hit of the game.
 
FIU amassed eight hits in the game.
 
Summers improved to 3-0 after pitching five innings, striking out five, scattering four hits and three walks. She lowered her season ERA to 1.31 after the outing. Junior Rachel Dwyer (Tampa, Florida / Chamberlain) came in to toss the final two scoreless innings, striking out one and allowing two hits.
 
FIU will play Northwestern State to finish day two of the invitational.

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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/.