GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The FIU baseball program dropped the finale of its two-game midweek series at #10 Florida, 11-4, Wednesday evening at Condron Family Ballpark.
For the second straight night, FIU (6-4) struck first.
Aidan Cohall drove in the game's opening run on a fielder's choice, scoring
Cooper Rasmussen to give the Panthers an early advantage in the first inning.
Florida answered with a run in the first on a balk before adding two in the second on an RBI groundout and RBI single to take a 3-1 lead.
The Panthers responded in the third inning.
Andrew Ildefonso launched a first-pitch fastball deep to left field for his first home run of the season. After
Luca Reyes was hit by a pitch and Cohall singled,
Hector Candelas delivered an RBI single into left-center to score Reyes and even the game at 3-3.
The Gators regained control in the fourth with an RBI double and a three-run home run to extend their lead to 7-3. FIU answered in the fifth when
Mario Trivella crushed a 378-foot solo home run down the left-field line — his fourth of the season — to cut the deficit to three.
Florida added a sacrifice fly in the fifth before a two-run single and a passed ball stretched the lead to seven, securing the 11-4 victory.
On the mound,
Julian Mlodzinski made his first start of the season, allowing three earned runs over 1.2 innings.
Tracen Cameron (0-3) took the loss after surrendering three runs in 1.2 innings of relief.
Jarek Woodward struck out two over 1.2 innings, allowing two runs.
Clayton Sherwood tossed a scoreless sixth with a strikeout, while
Bryce Turner allowed two earned runs in 0.1 inning.
Mason Koczwara closed out the game with 1.2 scoreless innings and a strikeout.
Offensively, FIU recorded its fifth 10-plus hit performance of the season, finishing with 11 hits. Rasmussen led the way with his first three-hit game of the year, including a double. Candelas,
Aris Rivera and Trivella each added two-hit efforts, while Cohall and Ildefonso contributed a hit apiece.
UP NEXT
FIU returns home for a five-game homestand, hosting Stony Brook for a three-game series from Friday, Feb. 27 to Sunday, March 1 from FIU Baseball Stadium. It will all be streamed live on ESPN+.
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