MIAMI – FIU's baseball program used an eighth-inning rally and a strong outing from left-hander Preston Prince to secure a 3-2 win over Kennesaw State on Friday evening at FIU Baseball Stadium.
 
Prince, who made his fifth start of the season for the Panthers (11-23, 3-10 CUSA), went 7.1 innings, marking the longest outing by a FIU pitcher since Garrett Rukes went nine innings on May 1, 2021. He struck out six, matching a season high set on March 20 against Sam Houston.
 
Through the first four innings, the game remained a pitchers' duel before Kennesaw State struck in the top of the fifth. Grayson McCollum grounded out to bring home Chris Cole for the game's first run.
 
The Owls added another run in the sixth inning when Jackson Chirello delivered an RBI single to give Kennesaw State a 2-0 lead.
 
FIU responded in the bottom of the sixth when redshirt sophomore Andrew Ildefonso launched his fourth home run of the season, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
 
The Panthers completed the comeback in the bottom of the eighth. With the bases loaded, Samuel Fischer delivered a two-run double to give FIU a 3-2 lead. The hit marked his 19th RBI of the season.
 
Right-hander Tyrus Riley closed the door in the ninth, earning his first save of the season. Bryce Turner also contributed out of the bullpen, allowing no runs over 0.2 innings of work.
 
Offensively, FIU totaled nine hits, with Cole Cleveland, Ildefonso and Cooper Rasmussen each recording multi-hit performances. Rasmussen extended his on-base streak to 19 games, while Cleveland posted his third consecutive game with multiple hits.
 
Fischer reached base twice, finishing with a double and a walk, while Enrique Alvarez Jr. and Mario Trivella each added a single.
 
UP NEXT
FIU welcomes Kennesaw State for the second of three games. First pitch will be at 5:00 pm ET and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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