MIAMI – Infielder Mario Trivella crushed a walk-off grand slam to lift the FIU baseball program to a thrilling 12-11 victory over Sam Houston on Saturday evening at FIU Baseball Stadium.
 
Trailing 11-7 entering the ninth, FIU (8-16, 1-4 CUSA) mounted a late rally, loading the bases with two outs. Samuel Fischer drew an RBI walk to cut the deficit to three before Trivella launched a towering blast to left-center, sealing the Panthers' first Conference USA win of the season. The homer marked Trivella's second walk-off blast of the year and the program's fourth walk-off home run victory on the 2026 season.

"That was a huge swing in a big moment. It found a way to get us the win and gave us the momentum and energy we need heading into tomorrow," said head coach Rich Witten.
 
Trivella capped a dominant performance at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and a career-high seven RBI for his first multi-homer game of the season.
 
Sam Houston jumped out early, scoring four runs in the first inning behind a pair of sacrifice flies and RBI singles. FIU responded emphatically in the second, erupting for five runs—all with two outs—behind three home runs. Trivella sparked the rally with a two-run shot, followed by Caden Sammler's first career homer to tie the game. Cooper Rasmussen then gave FIU the lead with an opposite-field blast off the foul pole.
 
The Panthers added two more runs in the third on an RBI double from Fischer and an RBI single from Trivella to extend the lead to 7-4.
 
Sam Houston chipped away, pulling within one in the fifth before erupting for five runs in the eighth to take an 11-7 advantage. Despite the late deficit, FIU answered in the ninth to complete the comeback.
 
On the mound, George Adams made his sixth start, allowing six earned runs over 4.1 innings with four strikeouts. Tyrus Riley provided stability out of the bullpen with three innings of one-hit ball and three strikeouts, while Enrique Sierra added two-thirds of a scoreless inning. Tracen Cameron earned the win after tossing a scoreless ninth.
 
Offensively, FIU totaled nine hits, led by Trivella's three-hit night. Fischer added two hits and reached base four times, while Rasmussen extended his hitting streak to nine games with a two-hit performance. Luca Reyes and Sammler also contributed base hits.

UP NEXT
FIU closes out the series Sunday afternooon at noon from FIU Baseball Stadium. It will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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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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