BOCA RATON, Florida (April 6, 2019) – The FIU softball team split its doubleheader on Saturday against Florida Atlantic, as the Panthers closed the day with an 11-9 win over the Owls.
FIU began the day with a 5-2 loss to FAU, before earning the 11-9 win to close out Saturday. FIU now sits at 19-19 overall and 1-10 in league action. FAU moves to 17-20 and 4-7 on the year.
FIU will face FAU on Sunday at 1 p.m. to decide the series. Live stats for all games can be found
here. Game notes for this weekend can be found
here. Tickets to all FIU home games can be purchased online at
tickets.fiusports.com or by phone at 305-FIU-GAME.
FIU's
Allison Muraskin pitched a complete game in the opener on Saturday but was dealt the loss after allowing five runs off eight hits. In game two, freshman
Kallie Jones pitched 3.2 innings in relief as she picked up her first career win in her first appearance in the circle for FIU.
At the plate, senior
Natalie Orcutt led the Panthers after collecting four hits, with one being a long ball and two going for doubles. The senior collected four RBIs total on the day.
Alexis Johns continued her hot hitting in conference play as the freshman picked up three hits and earned an RBI to round out her day at the dish.
Game one remained scoreless for three innings before a bases loaded walk and a SAC fly scored two Owls in the fourth. The Panthers were quick to respond however, as Orcutt hit a two-run homer to tie the game at 2-2. FAU plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth however to steal game one.
In the second game, FAU again pounced out to an early lead after scoring five runs in the first two innings to jump ahead 5-0. The Panthers would claw away at the deficit in the top of the fourth after an error scored
Jessica Rivera to kick start a three-run inning for FIU and make the score 5-3. FAU would extend its lead to 6-3, before the Panthers earned another three-run inning in the sixth frame thanks to a three-run double by Orcutt.
The floodgates would open up in the seventh inning, as a
Kameron Aitken groundout brought home
Montana Szara to spark a five-run inning. A
Deven Kennedy fly out would make it 8-6, before Orcutt would strike again with another RBI double, this time for two runs to make it 10-6. Rivera brought home Orcutt off a single to left to cap the scoring at 11-6.
The Owls narrowed the gap to 11-9 in the bottom of the seventh, before Muraskin entered the game to slam the door shut and earn the save.
UP NEXT
After Sunday's series finale against FAU, the Panthers will host Florida Gulf Coast for a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 10. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. ET.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUSoftball on Facebook and @FIUSoftball on Twitter and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
