HOUSTON, Texas (May 18, 2023) – The FIU baseball team was in Houston on Thursday night for the series opener against Rice. The Panthers would lose a high-scoring game to the Owls, 9-7.
 
The Panthers came out firing, taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
 
Dante Girardi and Mike Rosario opened the game with back-to-back singles. A fielder's choice would move Girardi to third and put Alec Sanchez on first.
 
Ryne Guida would then step into the batter's box and easily clear the left field wall for a three-run home run.
 
Rice had an immediate response, tying the game in their half of the first inning.
 
Just like FIU, the Owls opened with two-straight single. Connor Walsh then hit a three-run home run over the right field wall to make things even.
 
A two-run double by Jack Riedel in the bottom of the second would put Rice ahead, 5-3.
 
In the top of the fourth FIU tied the game up at 5-5.
 
Brendan Roney led off the inning and was hit by a pitch. He was then moved over to third base thanks to a Cesar Franco double.
 
Girardi hit a grounder to third but Roney had a great jump and beat the throw home to bring FIU within one.
 
Sanchez then dropped a single into left field to score the second run of the inning and making things even on the scoreboard.
 
The lead would switch hands again in bottom of the fifth.
 
The Owl's Walsh took off to steal third and an errant throw by Craig Palidar would allow Walsh to get back up and make it home.
 
FIU would not stay down long tying the game up again, this time in the top of the sixth.
 
Two singles and a fielder's choice put Henry Wallen on third. He was driven in on a sacrifice fly to left field by Sanchez, his second RBI of the game.
 
Rice's Riedel picked up his third RBI of the game with a single up the middle, giving the Owls the a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the sixth.
 
The Panthers continued to claw, finding a tying run in the top of the eighth.
 
Girardi led the inning off with a double and would move to third on a groundout to first. Sanchez would tie the game on a sacrifice fly for a second time, bringing the score to 7-7.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, a wild pitch by the Panther's Ryan Cabarcas put Rice back in the lead and an error would allow a second run score, putting the Owls ahead 9-7.
 
The Panthers could not find another rally, dropping game one to the Owls.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers and Owls face off in game two of the series on Friday May 19 with first pitch set for 7:30 p.m. Fans can watch the game live on C-USA TV. 
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.