FIU banged out a season-high 16 hits against Charleston Southern en route to an 8-0 win Thursday night in the opener of a three-game series at the FIU ballpark.
The Panthers (8-6) won their sixth consecutive game and ended the Buccaneers' (8-3) six-game win streak. Charleston Southern came into the series receiving votes in two college baseball polls.
It was the Panthers and Buccaneers first meeting since 1990 when Charleston Southern was known as Baptist College. With the victory FIU won its 11
th consecutive game against Charleston Southern in the all-time series which the Panthers lead 11-1.
Coming off a two-game sweep of Miami, FIU wasted no time ensuring there wouldn't be any hangover from the high of taking the crosstown series. The Panthers scored two runs off CSU starter Evan Nations (0-1) on an RBI single by
Kenny Meimerstorf and an RBI ground out by
JC Escarra in the bottom of the first inning. Meimerstorf delivered a sacrifice fly RBI in the third to make it 3-0 FIU.
The Panthers salted the game away with two runs in the sixth and three runs in the seventh.
In the sixth, Meimerstorf singled and Escarra followed with a long arching two-run home run into the preserve in right field. It was Escarra's team-leading third round-tripper of the season.
In the seventh, FIU almost hit for the cycle as a team.
Irving Lopez had an RBI triple. Meimerstorf had another RBI single and Escarra added an RBI double to extend the Panthers lead to 8-0.
Meimerstorf was 3 for 3 with three RBI and is now hitting a team-leading .385. Escarra was 2 for 4 with four RBI. Lopez,
Javier Valdes and
Zach Files each had two hits.
FIU starter
Chris Mourelle (2-1) didn't need much support. The senior right-hander threw six shutout innings, allowed five hits, two walks and struck out five batters.
Michael Agis pitched three scoreless relief innings and also struck out five to record his first save.
FIU and CSU resume their three-game series Friday night at 7 p.m. from the FIU ballpark. The game can be seen on PantherVision and C-USA TV.
