MIAMI – The FIU baseball program continued its dominant start to the season with a 6-2 victory over Delaware on Friday night at FIU Baseball Stadium, securing the opening game of a three-game series.
The Panthers improved to a perfect 6-0 record, marking their best start since 2022 and the strongest under third-year head coach Rich Witten.
FIU set the tone early with a three-run first inning, capitalizing on key opportunities to take control. The Panthers tacked on two more runs in the fourth before adding an insurance run in the eighth to seal the win.
Delaware loaded the bases in the bottom half of the first on two hit-by-pitches and a walk before Albert Serrano, the nation's leader in hit-by-pitches, was plunked for the seventh time this season to bring in the first run. Javier Crespo followed with an RBI walk, scoring Kishon Frett, and freshman Cole Cleveland capped off the inning with an RBI groundout to the first baseman—all without FIU recording a hit.
The Blue Hens responded with an RBI single in the second, but FIU's offense remained in control.
In the fourth, Brylan West singled with one out before Frett ripped an RBI triple into the right-center field gap, scoring West from first to extend the lead to 4-1. One batter later, Candelas lined an RBI single to left, pushing FIU's advantage to 5-1.
Delaware added a run in the seventh to trim the deficit to three, but shortstop Kareh Valentin delivered the dagger with his first home run as a Panther—a solo shot over the left-field wall—to restore the four-run cushion.
Tracen Cameron closed out the game in the ninth, working a scoreless inning to earn his first career save and secure FIU's sixth consecutive win.
On the mound, Owen Puk made his second start of the season, allowing no earned runs over three innings while scattering two hits and striking out three. Juan Villarreal (2-0) was dominant in relief, tossing three no-hit innings with four strikeouts. Bryce Greene made his team-leading fourth appearance, allowing one earned run in 0.1 innings before handing the ball off to Cameron, who delivered a career-high 2.2 innings, yielding no hits or runs while striking out three.
Offensively, West notched his fourth consecutive multi-hit game with two hits, including a triple, from the leadoff spot. Crespo recorded his third straight multi-hit performance with a pair of hits and an RBI, while Candelas and Frett also contributed to the hit column.
UP NEXT
FIU continues the series on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m.. It will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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