BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The FIU baseball program dropped a hard-fought contest, falling 5-4 in 10 innings to Western Kentucky on Saturday evening at Nick Denes Field.
 
With the game tied at four in the 10th, WKU delivered a two-out RBI single to center field to secure the series victory.
 
FIU (7-13) struck first in the opening inning. After Cooper Rasmussen led off with an infield single, Andrew Ildefonso ripped a triple down the right-field line for his first of the season to make it 1-0. Samuel Fischer followed with an RBI groundout to score Ildefonso and give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
 
The Hilltoppers responded in the third inning with a pair of runs, including an RBI single, to even the score at 2-2.
 
FIU regained the lead in the fifth when Rasmussen launched a two-run homer to right field—his third of the season—to put the Panthers ahead 4-2. Western Kentucky chipped away with a run in the fifth and another in the seventh to tie the game at four before securing the win in extra innings.
 
On the mound, George Adams made his fifth start of the season, allowing two runs over three innings with two strikeouts. Tyrus Riley matched his season high in innings pitched, tossing three innings while allowing one earned run and striking out four. Enrique Sierra was charged with the loss after allowing two runs over 3.2 (season-high) innings with four strikeouts.
 
Offensively, three Panthers recorded multi-hit performances as Ildefonso, Rasmussen and Luca Reyes each collected two hits. It marked the fourth multi-hit game of the season for both Rasmussen and Reyes, while Ildefonso recorded his third. Tracen Cameron and Samuel Fischer also added hits in the contest.

UP NEXT
Series finale is set for 1 p.m. tomorrow from Nick Denes Field. 

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BAPTIST HEALTH
The 2026 Baseball season is presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics

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