MIAMI — FIU's softball program started off its 2026 season with a 6-2 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night at home. 

Posting back-to-back three-run innings in the fourth and fifth, the Panthers defeated the Islanders at newly-minted Baptist Health Stadium with timely hitting and solid pitching in their home opener. J'Dah Grigorie, making her first FIU start, pitched a complete game and struck out nine batters, allowing just four hits and one earned run. 

At the plate, Paige Miller opened up the scoring for FIU, hammering a two-RBI triple in the fourth to the center field wall, which scored Leah Clark and McKenna Robbins to put the Panthers up 2-1. Isabella Perez picked up a sacrifice fly in the next at-bat, plating Miller to stake the Panthers to a 3-1 advantage after four innings. 

In the fifth, the FIU bats were hot again as Kennedy Byrd's RBI groundout with the bases loaded scored Kally Meredith to give FIU a three-run lead. Clark then delivered a triple of her own to center, driving in Chloe Bedwell and Zamya McBurrows, to cap FIU's scoring in the fifth. The Islanders had a solo homer in the sixth, but Girigorie shut down the offense from there, securing FIU the 6-2 win. 

Girigorie's nine strikeouts are the most in a game for an FIU pitcher since Kendahl Dunford struck out 12 on March 2, 2022 against St. John's. Clark delivered a big day at the plate in her first game at FIU, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and two extra base hits. Kally Meredith had three hits, all singles, to anchor the top of the lineup for FIU. 

Prior to tonight's contest, representatives from FIU Athletics and Baptist Health took part in a pregame ceremony to commemorate the official re-naming of FIU's home facility as Felsberg Field at Baptist Health Stadium.

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