MIAMI – FIU's baseball program secured a 7-4 victory over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Thursday evening to open a three-game Conference USA (CUSA) series at FIU Baseball Stadium.
 
In a back-and-forth contest, the Panthers (10-20, 2-8 CUSA) trailed 4-2 before erupting for four runs in the seventh inning to claim their second conference win of the season. Samuel Fischer delivered the go-ahead blow with a two-run double down the left field line to put FIU in front for good.
 
FIU struck early as leadoff hitter Andrew Ildefonso launched his third home run of the season to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Louisiana Tech tied the game in the third on an RBI infield single, but FIU answered in the bottom half with an RBI single from Fischer to regain a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Bulldogs evened the score in the fifth on a two-out RBI double before taking their first lead of the night in the seventh with two runs on a pair of two-out hits, making it 4-2.
 
FIU responded immediately in the bottom of the seventh. After a leadoff double by Marc Hersh, Trey Freeman drove in a run with an infield single. Later in the inning, Cole Cleveland singled to keep the rally alive before Fischer's two-run double gave FIU the lead. Mario Trivella followed with an RBI single to extend the advantage to 6-4.
 
The Panthers added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI single by Cooper Rasmussen to secure the 7-4 win.
 
On the mound, Preston Prince delivered a strong start, tying his career high with five innings pitched while striking out six batters. Tyrus Riley earned his second win of the season, tossing four innings in relief with five strikeouts while allowing two earned runs.
 
Offensively, FIU recorded 11 hits, with three players posting multi-hit performances. Ildefonso finished with two hits, while Fischer led the way with two hits and three RBI for his second consecutive multi-hit game. Aidan Cohall added two hits, including his team-leading 15th double of the season. Rasmussen extended his on-base streak to 15 games. Hersh reached base twice with a double and a hit-by-pitch, while Cleveland contributed a single and was also hit by a pitch.

UP NEXT
FIU prepares for game two of the series on Friday, April 3 at 6 p.m. for Country Night. It will be streamed live on ESPN+ from FIU 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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