FIU moved two steps closer to securing a berth in the Conference USA tournament late Thursday night.

The Panthers pounded out a season-high 18 hits en route to a 23-6 win over Western Kentucky in the opener of a three-game series at the FIU ballpark.

Before Thursday, FIU's magic number to clinch a spot in the conference tournament was three. Any combination of FIU wins and Marshall losses totaling three this weekend would send the Panthers to Biloxi, Mississippi -- site of the tournament.

The Thundering Herd (25-27, 12-16 Conference USA) lost to Charlotte, 5-3, Thursday afternoon and with FIU (29-25, 13-15 C-USA) winning Thursday night the magic number has been reduced to one. FIU won the season series against Marshall and holds the tiebreaker if the teams finished tied.

FIU jumped on WKU starter Ryan Thurston (4-6) in the bottom of the first with a two-run single by Kenny Meimerstorf and a three-run home run by Javier Valdes to build a 5-0 advantage.

However, the Hilltoppers (16-37, 6-22) answered with six runs off FIU starter Robert Garcia (5-5) in the third inning to take a 6-5 lead.

It was the one bad inning for Garcia, who otherwise pitched five scoreless frames to record the win. The senior right-hander went six innings, allowed eight hits, six runs and struck out eight. Michael Agis pitched the final three scoreless innings to post his third save.

The Panthers provided plenty of offensive support for Garcia. FIU scored four runs in the third to take the lead back for good.

The highlight of the bottom of the third was a three-run home run by Nick Day. Earlier in the inning, Valdes tied the score by singling home Meimerstorf.

Jack Schaaf had a bases-clearing three-run double in the fifth as part of a five-run inning that made it 14-6, FIU.

The Panthers added three more runs in the seventh and tacked on six runs in the eighth inning with Valdes clearing the bases on a triple to dead center over the head of WKU center fielder Colie Currie.

Valdes missed hitting for the cycle by a double. The freshman right fielder was 3 for 5 with seven RBI.

Meimerstorf was 3 for 6 with a double and five RBI. Zach Files was also 3 for 6. Day, JC Escarra and Zack Soria each had two hits. Soria, Meimerstorf and Escarra each scored four runs.

The 23 runs scored by FIU were the most since the Panthers scored 21 runs at Bethune-Cookman last season. The last time FIU scored 23 runs was against Charlotte in 2015 – a game that ended after seven innings because of the conference's 15-run mercy rule for a Saturday game.

The FIU single-game record for runs scored was done by the 2002 Panthers team. FIU defeated New Mexico State, 33-11, in Las Cruces, N.M. that season.

The middle game of the current series is Friday at 7 p.m. from the FIU ballpark. An FIU win against WKU or a Marshall loss to Charlotte on Friday clinches a berth in the conference tournament for the Panthers.