MIAMI - Janelle Martinez delivered a walk-off line drive home run to centerfield as the FIU softball team came from behind twice to produce a 6-5 win over Middle Tennessee in eight innings to open conference play on Friday at Felsberg Field.

With the victory, the Panthers (18-7, 1-0) have won 11 straight games for the first time since 2017 and extended the third-longest winning streak in program history behind the 2017 (17) and 2003 (13) squads.

Additionally, they have matched the 2010, 2014 and 2017 squads for the second-best 25-game start in the program's 28-year history behind the 2001 squad's 19-6 opening.

The Panthers also finished Friday night with three home runs in a game for the first time since a 10-2 win over Liberty on March 10 of last season. In fact, along with a three-homer outing on May 7, 2022, it was just the fourth time FIU has delivered three blasts in one game since the start of the 2018 campaign.

Prior to the heroics from Martinez, Bailey Grossenbacher sent a 3-1 pitch over the fence in right field with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game at five and force extra innings.

Julia Garcia's second home run of the night, which came on a two-run blast to center field in the top half of the seventh, had given Middle Tennessee a 5-4 lead.

The damage could have been worse following Garcia's home run if it hadn't been for Kally Meredith, who sprinted back in deep center to snag the third out of the seventh with runners on second and third.

Two batters into the game, Middle Tennessee took a two-run lead on Garcia's first home run, but FIU answered back quickly.

Paige Miller walked and stole second base with one out to start the Panther rally in the home half. Brooke McCann followed with a line drive single to right field, just over the leaping arms of the second baseman, to pull FIU within one.
 

After a walk from Catherwood, both runners advanced on a short fly out down the right field line. 

That allowed Kennedy Byrd to hit with a pair of runners in scoring position, and she delivered by lacing a go-ahead double past a diving shortstop up the middle and all the way to the fence in left center.

FIU added to its lead in the third when Catherwood pulled the first pitch she saw over the fence in right center for a solo shot.

Middle Tennessee cut its deficit to one in the sixth with a two-out RBI triple. 

Byrd, who went the distance in the circle for FIU, did a nice job of pitching out of jams in the third and fifth innings.

In the third, FIU had runners on first and third with no outs, but Byrd got a strikeout, a pop out and another strikeout to end the threat. In the fifth, the Blue Raiders had runners on second and third with two outs, but a short pop out to center and a strikeout ended that threat.

FIU had nine hits from seven different players, led by multi-hit days from McCann (2-for-3, RBI) and Collier Peaden (2-for-3, SB). 

Byrd (W, 7-5) delivered a gutty complete game, scattering 12 hits, five runs and three walks while striking out a career-best six.

For Middle Tennessee (8-13, 0-1), Garcia finished 3-for-4 with a pair of two-run home runs. Jana Want (2-for-4, two runs, double, walk), Macie Harter (2-for-5, two doubles), Lexi Medlock (2-for-4, double) and Ansley Blevins (2-for-3, double, walk) also had multi-hit days.

UP NEXT
FIU will continue its three-game series with Middle Tennessee on Saturday at 6 p.m. before closing it out on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Panthers travel to Kennesaw State for a series next weekend.

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