MIAMI (May 5, 2023) – Near-perfect pitching and hot bats lifted the FIU baseball team over Western Kentucky on Friday as the Panthers took the first game of the weekend series, 8-1.
 
Pitchers Angel Tiburcio and Ryan Cabarcas were masterful against WKU.
 
Tiburcio started the game and went six innings, striking out six batters and seeing one unearned run score during his outing.
 
Cabarcas earned his first save of the season after punching out six batters over three innings of scoreless work to close the game.
 
Ryne Guida continued to have a hot bat, going 4-5 with three RBI. He is on a 10-game hitting streak, registering multiple hits in six of those games and driving in seven runs.
 
Western Kentucky would open the scoring early, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. A hard-hit ball by Tristin Garcia forced an error at first that allowed a run to score from second base.
 
The Panthers struck back immediately, going up 2-1 in their half of the inning.
 
Sanchez was the first Panther to register a hit in the game, pushing his on-base streak to 27 games, with a single up the middle. Guida followed him with a single of his own and both runners advanced into scoring position thanks to a passed ball.
 
Ruben Carpio would hit a hard ground ball to the WKU second baseman, forcing an error that allowed Sanchez to cross home plate. Adrian Figueroa then delivered a single to center field to score the second run of the inning.
 
FIU added a third run to the scoreboard in the bottom of the second.
 
After being hit by a pitch, Brendan Roney moved to third on a hard-hit Mike Rosario single. The next play was a FIU double play, but it allowed Roney to reach home and make the score 3-1.
 
Tiburcio proceeded to throw five scoreless innings for the Panthers to keep the Hilltoppers at bay.
 
The offense would go on to cement the win, scoring five runs across the seventh and eighth innings.
 
A Guida RBI double and Figueroa sacrifice fly pushed FIU's advantage to 5-1 at the end of the seventh inning.
 
Sanchez earned a RBI with a single up the middle and Guida would push his RBI total to three for the game with a two-run double, as the Panthers went up 8-1 headed into the final frame.
 
Cabarcas shut the door on the Hilltoppers to secure the Panthers 8-1 victory.
 
UP NEXT
Game two in the series against Western Kentucky is set for Saturday May 6 at 5 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.