TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The FIU softball team held serve for the opening three innings in the opening game of a doubleheader at No. 11/12 Florida State on Thursday evening, before a five-run fourth by the Seminoles led to a 7-3 defeat.
 
The Panthers (6-7) dropped the nightcap to Florida State 9-1 after six innings.
 
After Florida State (7-3) took an early 2-0 lead on a two-run homer by Amaya Ross, the Panthers made some noise in the top of the third after getting runners on second and third with one out.  Abigail Brown came through with a two-out, two-run single to center to score Collier Peaden and Kaleena Downing, tying the score at 2-2.
 
The Seminoles regained control with five runs in the fourth inning – a spurt that was aided by a pair of FIU errors and sparked by a triple by Ross – who scored on the play on one of the Panthers' defensive miscues.
 
Peaden led the Panthers in the opening loss with a pair of hits – her third straight and eighth multi-hit performance this season.  She added another hit in the nightcap to extend her current hitting streak to seven games.
 
The Seminoles claimed a 5-0 advantage after four innings on the strength of a two-run homer by Micheala Edenfield in the second and three runs in the fourth – two of which came home via a Panther error.
 
Zamya McBurrows got the Panthers on the board in the fifth with a groundout that scored Bailey Grossenbacher, who reached on an error.
 
Florida State added three runs in the bottom of the fifth and a final tally in the sixth to seal the win.
 
UP NEXT
FIU continues play in Tallahassee with a pair of games against Nicholls on Saturday, Feb. 23 beginning at 10 a.m.
 
TICKETS
For more information on FIU Softball season and individual tickets, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit the FIU Athletics Online Ticket Office.
 
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