MIAMI – The FIU baseball team erupted for five home runs on Sunday afternoon, securing a 17-14 victory over Stonehill at FIU Baseball Stadium.
The Panthers powered their way to a 3-0 start to the 2025 season, thanks to a pair of explosive seven-run innings in the fourth and sixth frames.
FIU's offense shined, finishing with 17 runs on 16 hits. Six players contributed multi-hit performances.
The Panthers struck early in the third inning when freshman
Cole Cleveland doubled to drive in two runs, marking his first career hit. But it was in the fourth that FIU truly showcased its power.
With the bases loaded,
Albert Serrano belted a grand slam to deep right field for his first homer of the season. The very next batter,
Alex Ulloa, followed with a solo shot to left, making it back-to-back home runs. Later in the inning, graduate student
Nelson Rivera Flores, in his first game as a Panther, launched a 3-2 fastball to left-center for a home run, pushing FIU to a 9-2 lead.
After Stonehill (0-3) added two runs in the fifth, the Panthers responded with another dominant seven-run inning in the sixth.
Cleveland, leading off the frame, belted his first collegiate home run to right field. Junior
Kareh Valentin followed with a sacrifice fly, and
Austin Dearing delivered a two-run double down the right field line.
With Dearing on base, Serrano added his second home run of the game, a two-run blast to deep centerfield that traveled an impressive 430 feet. Cleveland capped the inning with an RBI double, extending FIU's lead to 16-4.
The Panthers tacked on their 17th run in the seventh inning on a wild pitch. Although Stonehill made a late push, scoring 10 combined runs in the eighth and ninth innings, FIU held on for a 17-14 victory.
On the mound,
Easton Marks (1-0) earned the victory in his first start as a Panther. The Nevada transfer tossed three hitless innings, striking out four batters.
Freshman
Bryce Turner made a solid relief appearance, allowing one run and striking out two. Juliann Mlodzinski worked two innings in the middle frames, while
Bryce Greene made his second appearance of the season, posting a scoreless seventh inning.
Freshman
Imarion Stanberry and Toby Haareer also made their Panther debuts, and
Evan Alwine closed out the game with in the ninth.
Offensively, Cleveland and Serrano led the charge. Cleveland went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBIs. Serrano had a standout game with his first career multi-homer performance, driving in six runs. Returners
Kishon Frett, Dearing,
Samuel Fischer, and Ulloa all contributed with multi-hit efforts.
Several newcomers made their mark as well, with
Enrique Alvarez Jr.,
Marc Hersh,
Ryan Hunter,
Andrew Ildefonso, and
Kyle Koehler all seeing action in their first games as Panthers.
UP NEXT
FIU looks for the series sweep tomorrow Feb. 17 at noon. It will be streamed live on ESPN+.
BAPTIST HEALTH
Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics
SOCIAL MEDIA
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