MIAMI (March 11, 2017) -- Freshman Jessica Rivera (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep) blasted a grand slam as the FIU Panthers scored nine in the fifth and slugged past the Fairfield Stags, 10-2 in five innings, in game one of a Saturday doubleheader at Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium in non-conference softball action. The win gives FIU its 20^th win in just 26 contests, and six victories in a row. The Stags slip to 3-7 on the season.
 
Fairfield was in control for most of the game. The Stags got a single and a hit batter to start the game, then back-to-back RBI singles to plate two in the first.
 
The Panthers did not have a hit until the third, and scored a run on a strikeout-wild pitch without a hit. Redshirt senior Dani Mowry (Cocoa, Florida / Space Coast HS) collected a single after the run scored for FIU's first hit of the day.
 
The score stayed 2-1 until the fifth, when the Panthers blew open the game with nine runs to end it early. The Panthers got the first three runners on via single, fielder's choice and walk for Rivera, who hit the first pitch she saw out to center for the 5-2 lead. It was her team-leading seventh home run of the season. After two outs, the Panthers kept the pressure on, with a single from Araceli Peralta (Tucson, Arizona), followed by an RBI double from sophomore Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida / Lakewood Ranch HS). After a pitching change, Ashley Leon (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep) singled and Stephanie Texeira (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep) walked to load the bases again. At that point, Kasandra Castle (Lake Worth, Florida / Palm Beach Central) drew a walk and Leon sprinted in from second with the defense caught unaware for two runs. Runners moved up on a throwing error and Mowry singled in the eighth and ninth runs in the inning to win in walkoff fashion.
 
The win went to sophomore starter Megan Kugelmann (Merritt Island, Florida / Cocoa Beach HS), who struck out three Stags in five innings. She gave up five hits and three walks to improve her record to 8-1.
 
The loss went to Stags starter Karisa Hughen, who falls to 1-5 on the season.
 
The Stags and Panthers will play a second game to finish the day.

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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/.