MIAMI (April 27, 2019) – On a night that saw 43 combined hits and 19 runs scored, the FIU baseball team dropped a heartbreaking 10-9 affair to Charlotte in 14 innings.

FIU sits at 17-25 and 7-13 in Conference USA play. Charlotte moves to 16-25-1 and 7-12-1 with the win.
 
Chase Gooding of Charlotte was given the win for pitching 7.2 innings of one-run relief ball, while Everett Hurst was dealt the loss after surrendering the go-ahead-run in the top of the 14th. Nick MacDonald pitched seven innings of four-run ball with two strikeouts for a no-decision.
 
Jarrett Ford led the Panther attack with a career-high five hits on the evening. The dynamic duo of Derek Cartaya and Austin Shenton each extended their hitting streaks with four-hit, two-RBI performances. Javier Valdes added two more RBIs, while Jose Garcia and John Rodriguez both had two hits to add to the FIU barrage.   
 
After Charlotte scored in the opening frame, Shenton singled home Cartaya to tie the game at 1-1 at the end of one. A Shenton RBI SAC fly and a Charlotte error gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead after two. The 49ers scored one in the fourth before Vadles blasted a two-run homer over the left field wall for his eighth of the season. The homer extended the Blue and Gold advantage to 5-2. Cartaya pushed the lead to 6-2 in the fifth with a RBI single.
 
Charlotte plated two in the visitor's half of the sixth before FIU scored three in the seventh for a 9-4 edge heading to the eighth. The visitors scored six unanswered runs however, including three in the ninth to tie the game and one in the 14th, to take the marathon game by a score of 10-9  
 
UP NEXT
FIU closes out the first leg of the homestand on Sunday with the matinée series finale against Charlotte at noon.   

SOCIAL MEDIA
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