KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 4, 2017) -- Sophomore Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida / Lakewood Ranch HS) drove in senior Sammi Green (Marietta, Georgia) from third in the sixth inning and FIU pitching held on in the seventh as the Panthers won their fourth game in a row, 4-3 decision over Kansas, Saturday at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida, at the Citrus Classic II Tournament.
 
FIU overcame three errors by collecting nine hits, including the 35^th-career home run from senior Stephanie Texeira (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep) in the win. The Panthers improve to 14-5. The Jayhawks are now 12-7.
 
An RBI single by Kasandra Castle (Lake Worth, Florida / Palm Beach Central HS) drove in senior Ashley Leon (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep) in the first inning, after Leon recorded an infield single and was pushed to second on a Texeira walk for the 1-0 Panthers lead.
 
FIU tacked on a second run in the second. Green singled and later scored on an RBI single from Leon and it looked like the Panthers had the game in hand.
 
Kansas responded by tying the game in the third inning. A sacrifice bunt drove in one run and the third of FIU's errors allowed the tying run to score with two outs. Kansas then took its first lead of the game on an RBI groundout in the fourth.
 
A solo homer by Texeira tied the game at three in the top of the fifth. She lifted an 0-1 pitch out to left-center with one out and extended her own school record for career homers, at 35. It was third home run of the season (all in the last seven games).
 
The Panthers then got ahead for good in the sixth. Green doubled with one out and moved to third on a ground out. After changing pitchers, the Jayhawks allowed Schoff to drive in the game-winner.
 
The Jayhawks garnered a walk and moved the runner to second, but sophomore Megan Kugelman (Merritt Island, Florida / Cocoa Beach HS) closed out the contest, inducing a foul out followed by a solid defensive play as the Panthers cut down the potential game-tying run at the plate.
 
Kugelmann got the win in relief (6-1) after tossing 3.2 innings. She allowed two hits and a walk, but no Kansas scoring.
 
Kansas starter Sarah Miller took the loss to fall to 2-2. In 5.2 innings, she gave up all four runs on eight hits and three walks, recording three strikeouts.
 
Green, Schoff and Leon all had two hits each to lead FIU. Green scored twice and four different Panthers drove in a run.
 
FIU has won all three games so far at the Citrus Classic II, by a combined score of 30-10.
 
The Panthers tangle with Notre Dame at 5 p.m. to finish the day. The Fighting Irish are receiving votes in the latest USA Today/Coaches and ESPN.com/USA Softball Polls.

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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/.