The FIU baseball team (25-27, 13-14) picked up a key 7-1 victory over the UALR Trojans on Sunday to clinch the weekend series. The Panthers used a strong starting outing from freshmanAlex Seibold[/B] and a 10-hit performance to seal the win.
Seibold tallied a second-straight quality start with a career-best seven innings and eight strikeouts, to go along with one earned run and seven hits. Junior Aramis Garcia[/B] capped off a strong weekend with a 2-for-4 performance with a home run, double and three RBI. Junior Josh Anderson[/B] added two doubles and two RBI. Junior Albert Cardenas[/B]recorded his fourth save of the season.
FIU struck first with a two-spot in the third inning. Sophomore Oscar Aguirre[/B] started things off with a leadoff walk. Following two-straight outs, junior Zach Sweety[/B] moved Aguirre to third to set things up for Garcia. The sophomore scorched a double down the left field line into the corner to score Aguirre and Sweety. FIU had a 2-0 lead after three.
Seibold, who faced the minimum in the first and four in the second, got a quick two outs in the third inning. However, the next three batters went on to reach base on a single, a hit by pitch and a walk to load the bases with two outs. The freshman pitcher escaped the jam though, forcing a big 3-1 putout to end the Trojan scare.
UALR cut the FIU lead in half in the fifth. Bryson Thionnet led things off with a double to right centerfield and advanced to third on a wild pitch with no outs. After Seibold punched out the next two batters, UALR's Austin Pfeiffer hit a slow-roller to third for an infield hit to score Thionnet. FIU had a 2-1 lead.
The Panthers answered in the sixth and seventh. With two outs and nobody on in the sixth, seniors Nathan Burns[/B]and T.J. Shantz[/B] each singled, allowing Aguirre to rip an RBI double to the right centerfield gap to give FIU a 3-1 advantage. Then in the seventh, Garcia drilled his 11th homer of the season to right to up the Panther lead to 4-1.
In the eighth, Seibold forced a pop up in the sun that resulted in a double. Cardenas came in to relieve the freshman and shut the Trojans down in order. He allowed a double in the ninth, but put another zero on the board to earn his fourth save in 2013.
FIU put the game out of reach in the ninth. Junior Tyler Hibbert[/B] drew a leadoff walk and scored later in the inning on a one-out RBI single by freshman Edwin Rios[/B]. Anderson delivered the big blow in the inning with a two-run double to up the lead to 7-1.
The Panthers are back in action this upcoming Thursday as they host upstate rival FAU in the final three-game Sun Belt series for this season. Thursday's first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET.
Seibold tallied a second-straight quality start with a career-best seven innings and eight strikeouts, to go along with one earned run and seven hits. Junior Aramis Garcia[/B] capped off a strong weekend with a 2-for-4 performance with a home run, double and three RBI. Junior Josh Anderson[/B] added two doubles and two RBI. Junior Albert Cardenas[/B]recorded his fourth save of the season.
FIU struck first with a two-spot in the third inning. Sophomore Oscar Aguirre[/B] started things off with a leadoff walk. Following two-straight outs, junior Zach Sweety[/B] moved Aguirre to third to set things up for Garcia. The sophomore scorched a double down the left field line into the corner to score Aguirre and Sweety. FIU had a 2-0 lead after three.
Seibold, who faced the minimum in the first and four in the second, got a quick two outs in the third inning. However, the next three batters went on to reach base on a single, a hit by pitch and a walk to load the bases with two outs. The freshman pitcher escaped the jam though, forcing a big 3-1 putout to end the Trojan scare.
UALR cut the FIU lead in half in the fifth. Bryson Thionnet led things off with a double to right centerfield and advanced to third on a wild pitch with no outs. After Seibold punched out the next two batters, UALR's Austin Pfeiffer hit a slow-roller to third for an infield hit to score Thionnet. FIU had a 2-1 lead.
The Panthers answered in the sixth and seventh. With two outs and nobody on in the sixth, seniors Nathan Burns[/B]and T.J. Shantz[/B] each singled, allowing Aguirre to rip an RBI double to the right centerfield gap to give FIU a 3-1 advantage. Then in the seventh, Garcia drilled his 11th homer of the season to right to up the Panther lead to 4-1.
In the eighth, Seibold forced a pop up in the sun that resulted in a double. Cardenas came in to relieve the freshman and shut the Trojans down in order. He allowed a double in the ninth, but put another zero on the board to earn his fourth save in 2013.
FIU put the game out of reach in the ninth. Junior Tyler Hibbert[/B] drew a leadoff walk and scored later in the inning on a one-out RBI single by freshman Edwin Rios[/B]. Anderson delivered the big blow in the inning with a two-run double to up the lead to 7-1.
The Panthers are back in action this upcoming Thursday as they host upstate rival FAU in the final three-game Sun Belt series for this season. Thursday's first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET.