LYNCHBURG, Va. – FIU's baseball program dropped a tight 4-3 decision to Liberty in the series opener Friday afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Conference USA (CUSA) play.
FIU (8-18, 1-6 CUSA) had the tying and go-ahead run in scoring position in the ninth inning but was unable to capitalize, falling just short in the one-run contest.
Liberty struck early in the first, plating two runs on a balk and an RBI groundout to take the early lead.
In the fourth, Cole Cleveland cut the deficit in half with a solo home run, his second of the season, to make it 2-1. The Flames responded in the bottom half on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 3-1, before adding another run in the fifth on an RBI single to push the advantage to 4-1.
FIU continued to battle, and in the eighth, Cooper Rasmussen delivered a two-run homer to right field, his sixth of the season, after a Hector Candelas walk, trimming the deficit to 4-3.
On the mound, Preston Prince made his fourth start of the season, tossing a career-high five innings while striking out a career-best seven batters and allowing four earned runs. Bryce Turner added a scoreless inning with a strikeout, while Cooper Foster impressed with two no-hit innings and three punchouts.
Offensively, FIU totaled seven hits, led by multi-hit efforts from Andrew Ildefonso and Rasmussen. Rasmussen extended his hitting streak to 11 games while recording his seventh multi-hit performance of the season. Cleveland, Aidan Cohall, and Mario Trivella each added a hit in the loss.
UP NEXT
FIU prepares for game two of the series on Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m.. It will be streamed live on ESPN+ from Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
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BAPTIST HEALTH
The 2026 FIU baseball season is presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics
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