MIAMI (April 19, 2017) -- Freshman shortstop Jessica Rivera (Miami, Florida / Gulliver Prep) bunted in the go-ahead run in the third and freshman Shannon Saile (Land O'Lakes, Florida / Land O'Lakes HS) tossed a three-hitter as FIU swept a Wednesday doubleheader after a 4-1 nightcap at Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium in non-conference action. FIU is now 36-11 overall, winners of four in a row, and the Eagles fell to 21-23.
 
Saile moved into sole possession of tenth place in FIU single-season history by striking out nine batters. Her 2017 total sits at 167.
 
The Eagles scored an unearned run on Saile after a two-out popout was dropped on the infield to score a runner from third in the second inning for the game's first scoring play.
 
The Panthers struck back in the bottom half to quickly tie the game. A two-out, bases-loaded RBI single from sophomore Jackie Schoff (Bradenton, Florida / Lakewood Ranch HS) provided the tying run.
 
With runners at second and third and one out in the third, Rivera's bunt was flipped back home, but senior Stephanie Texeira slid under the tag. Rivera got into a rundown to elicit and throw to allow designated player Kasandra Castle (Lake Worth, Florida / Palm Beach Central HS) to score from second for the two-run lead.
 
The complete-game effort was Saile's team-leading 16^th of the season. Her ERA fell to 1.78 after the contest and her record improved to 12-8. She walked two in the game. Saile has not allowed more than four hits in any of her last 13 starts.
 
Texeira drew two walks and was hit by a pitch in the nightcap. After tying her career-high with three walks in the first game, Texeira finished the day 0-for-1 in seven plate appearances, but with two runs scored and an .857 on-base percentage. Schoff finished the day 3-for-6 and reached base twice. She has reached base safely in all 37 games in which she has appeared this season.

For the twinbill, Panthers pitching gave up two runs, only one earned, and lowered its Conference USA-leading ERA to 1.80 while adding two wins for a league-leading 36.
 
The Panthers head to Charlotte to return to Conference USA action. The Saturday doubleheader begins at 1 p.m., with a noon Sunday series finale from the Phillips Softball Complex.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Lime Court at FIU Arena and at Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity" and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Employers" list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. 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 with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU's Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute.  FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.