Jose Garcia broke the FIU freshman home run record with a three-run shot to help FIU split a doubleheader with Rice on Friday at Infinity Insurance Park.

The Panthers (26-26, 15-13 Conference USA) won the nightcap, 8-6, after dropping the opener, 6-2, to the Owls (24-29-2, 12-15-2 C-USA).

FIU is currently tied for fifth with UTSA in the C-USA standings. Should the Panthers win Saturday and the Roadrunners lose, FIU clinches the No. 5 seed and a first round game against Charlotte at the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday. The game would take place at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

However, if the Panthers finish as the No. 6 seed, FIU would play against the No. 3 seed at 10 a.m. EDT Wednesday morning from MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. UTSA holds the tiebreaker with FIU by taking two of three games in the season series.

Friday night it was Garcia that took the FIU freshman home run record from former Panther Jabari Henry, who hit 12 home runs in 2010 en route to being named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year.

Garcia's 13^th homer of the season opened an 8-3 lead for FIU in the bottom of the sixth inning of game two of the doubleheader.

Garcia drilled his home run over the right field wall off Rice reliever Garrett Gayle. Garcia's homer also gave FIU 67 home runs on the season surpassing last season's total of 66.

Down 2-0 after the top of the first, FIU scored four runs in the second inning on five singles, a hit batter with the bases loaded and a sacrifice fly by Austin Shenton.

Lorenzo Hampton, Jr., Javier Valdes, Seth Cannady and Derek Cartaya delivered four straight singles to start the second inning. Cannady's single drove home Hampton. Logan Allen was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Eddie Silva also had an RBI single.

Allen's RBI single in the third made it 5-3 Panthers.

With FIU ahead 5-3 in the sixth, the Owls got a walk and a double off Daniel Brown with no outs. Will Saxton came in from the bullpen and struck out the side to preserve the two-run lead.

Saxton threw two scoreless innings and struck out four. Chandler Raiden pitched the final two innings and allowed no runs to record his first save.

Cartaya was 3 for 4 in game two and 5 for 7 in the doubleheader. Allen and Shenton each had two hits in game two.

Game 1 - RICE 6, FIU 2

Luis Aviles's pinch-hit grand slam in the top of the ninth inning rallied Rice past FIU, 6-2.

The Owls had just two hits prior to the ninth, but after a single, two walks and a hit by pitch, Aviles connected for his first home run of the season.

Adan Fernandez hit his ninth home run of the season – a solo shot in the fourth to give FIU a 1-0 lead.

FIU right-hander Andres Nunez pitched five shutout innings and struck out six, but he did not get the decision.

FIU and Rice conclude the three-game series Saturday at 12 p.m.