LAS CRUCES, NM – The FIU baseball program completed the series sweep of CUSA foe, the New Mexico State Aggies, 18-6, in a run-rule victory on the road Sunday afternoon.
 
For the Panthers, they secured their first sweep in Conference USA of the season and first conference sweep since May of 2018 when FIU took three games against Western Kentucky in Bowling Green. FIU improves to an overall mark of 23-17 and 10-5 in CUSA play, second in the conference standings.
 
The offense was the storyline for a third straight ballgame. FIU posted 18 runs on 18 hits, its third straight game with 15 or more hits as a squad. In addition, power was on full display as the team hit five home runs and four doubles.
 
Overall on the weekend, FIU posted 67 hits, 49 runs, 17 doubles, and 11 home runs. All series-highs this season. It is the most runs scored in a series since 2020.
 
Brylan West was the headliner for the Panthers, securing a 4-for-5 afternoon with seven RBI driven in, a career-high, and blasted a pair of home runs.
 
FIU struck first as following a career-day on Saturday with a cycle, Armando Becerra got the scoring started with a solo homer out to left field. It marked Becerra's third homer in as many days.
 
New Mexico State answered with a run in the first, before FIU took the lead in the second on a RBI single for Kishon Frett. The Aggies responded with a run in the second and third, posting a 3-2 advantage into the fourth.
 
Yet, the FIU offense produced a combined 11-runs in the fourth and fifth innings, highlighted by an eight run fifth. After Brendan Roney tied the game on a RBI single in the fourth, West smoked a double into deep centerfield to drive home a pair of runs, giving FIU an 5-3 advantage.
 
The Panthers blew the game wide open in the fifth, started by an Austin Dearing two-run base knock that scored Jeff Liquori and Andre Martinez. Next batter up, with a pair of runners on, Kishon Frett rocketed a baseball to deep left for his team-leading 12^th homer of the season, pushing the lead to 10-3. Frett closed the afternoon with a three-hit performance, his first three-hit game of the season.
 
The power continued as two batters later, West joined in on the home run fun with a two-run blast down the left-field line. Ryne Guida would also post power for a second straight day with a solo homer, extending his on-base streak to 25 games, closing the eight-run frame.
 
After New Mexico tacked on three runs in the sixth to make it 13-6, FIU added on with a five-run seventh to eventually win in seven innings. A sacrifice bunt for Chase Engelhard scored a run, while Liquori came to to score on a wild pitch. The cherry on top was a three-run homer for West to finish off his seven-RBI afternoon. Kevin Martin pitched 1.1 innings to secure the run-rule win.
 
In addition, Dearing and Roney posted two-hit games, making it Dearing's second straight game with a pair of hits.
 
Richie Pena earned his first win of the season, firing off three innings on three earned runs with a strikeout. David Eckaus allowed one earned run in 1.1 innings.

UP NEXT
FIU is back on the field this weekend at home as they take on ranked Dallas Baptist for a three-game series. First pitch on Friday, April 26 from FIU Baseball Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. It can be streamed on ESPN+.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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