MIAMI (Feb. 20, 2021) – The FIU baseball team split its Saturday double dip with UIC, as the Panthers took the opener in dramatic fashion and won 4-3 in 10 innings.
FIU will head into the second weekend of the 2021 season carrying a 2-1 record.
Under a beautiful South Florida sky, the day got underway with
Christian Santana returning to the mound for the first time since May of 2019. The righty went five scoreless innings and earned five strikeouts, but was given a no decision.
The Panther bats awoke early in game one to give FIU a 2-0 lead after four innings, as freshman
Dante Girardi drove in both runs in the early going.
UIC stormed back in the eighth inning however and scored three of their own. That set the stage for the first round of late-inning heroics, as
Luis Chavez doubled home
Derek Cartaya to tie the game at three.
In the 10th inning,
Ben Rozenblum worked a one-out walk before being pinch ran for with
Mario Zabala. The speedy freshman wreaked havoc on the basepaths and forced an error on a stolen base attempt that led to Zabala rounding third to score. The late heroics gave FIU the 4-3 win and secured a series victory for the Panthers.
In the second game, the Panthers and Flames traded runs before a five-run eighth put the Flames out front for a 10-6 win to salvage a game on the weekend.
UP NEXT
The Panthers continue the longest homestand of the season next week, welcoming the Miami (OH) Redhawks to the FIU Baseball Stadium for a four-game set starting on Feb. 26.
FAN ATTENDANCE
Due to physical distancing requirements, the total capacity at FIU Athletics events will be reduced this season. FIU's baseball games will be limited to 400 fans this spring due to the COVID-19 repopulation plan. For more information on tickets, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit
here.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUBaseball on Facebook and @FIUBaseball on Twitter and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
