Panthers Outdueled at the Plate in Loss to Owls

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BOCA RATON, FL – Throughout the first seven innings of the game, FAU’s Garrett Grant shutout the Panthers. A huge four-run inning in the fifth for them was the difference maker in the game.

FIU finally broke through with some much-needed runs in the eighth. Despite a late game push with their bats, the Panthers were still outdueled at the plate in their 7-3 loss to the Owls.

Hitting Quiet Through Seven

Julian Mlodzinski got the ball to start for the Panthers. In the first, Marshall Lipsey led off the Owls with a double before Michael Perazza drove him in with a base hit. Mlodzinski settled in, though. He tossed a career-high of four innings, allowing four hits and one run while recording eight groundouts.

Solid start Juju 👏

4⃣IP (career-high)
4⃣H
1⃣ ER pic.twitter.com/KLZ610DywV

— FIU Baseball (@FIUBaseball) March 8, 2026

In the top half of the fourth, the Panthers had a chance to score their runs on offense. Aidan Cohall started it off with a double and then advanced to third on a Trey Freeman single. However, a Luca Reyes groundout double play ended their hopes.

In the fifth, Jeremy Urena came in for his first relief appearance of the season. Boosting an 8.74 ERA coming in, things didn’t go as planned in his hopes to lower that number.

Hits came in bunches for the Owls, as their first six hitters in the batting order each hit singles. Perazza, Brando Leroux, and John Martinez each earned RBIs. Then, Eli Small added to the damage with a fielder’s choice, making it a 5-0 shutout.

With just one out having been recorded, Tracen Cameron entered the game and got through the inning with a double play. Urena finished his outing, giving up six runs and four runs on just 22 pitches.

Following another quiet inning from FIU’s hitters, the Owls went back to work in the sixth. Xavier Moronta and Martinez both had RBI singles in the frame to extend FAU’s lead to 7-0.

FIU’s bats were relatively silent against Grant. The starter controlled the game for his team with a 93-pitch seven-inning shutout performance. He allowed six hits but also recorded five strikeouts.

7 SHUTOUT INNINGS WITH 5 Ks FOR THE FRESHMAN! 👏 pic.twitter.com/nQy6wMiPdA

— Florida Atlantic Baseball (@FAUBaseball) March 8, 2026

Bats Pick Up the Slack in the Eighth, but Not Enough

Hitting just .135 coming into the AB, Cole Cleveland was in need of a hit to get out of his slump. Cleveland went on to lead off the eighth with a solo home run, his first of the season.

Moments later, Mario Trivella singled, and Cohall followed up with a double. Then, Andrew Ildefonso knocked a two-run double into left field. In reality, this moment was FIU’s best moment all weekend long. That’s how quiet they have been all series long.

Keep chipping away 🔨

Ildy with the two-run double! pic.twitter.com/ZpaxUNmJ5S

— FIU Baseball (@FIUBaseball) March 8, 2026

Cooper Foster pitched through the seventh and eighth with ease. He surrendered just one base runner while striking out two batters.

FIU finished the afternoon contest with 10 hits. Trivella, Cohall, and Freeman each had a pair of hits. FIU’s leadoff (.444) and two-out hitting (.455) were on point, but it was their inability to get more hits with runners in scoring position (.222) that prevented them from doing more.

FAU, on the other hand, bested nearly everything the Panthers were able to do at the plate. They hit .467 with runners in scoring position, .625 with leadoff hitters, and .714 with runners on third and less than two outs.

Final
FIU 3 | FAU 7

The Owls sweep through the weekend series. Despite 10 hits from FIU, their opponent did better with 15 hits.

FAU hit .467 with runners in scoring position compared to just .222 for the Panthers.#FIU | #Panthers | #PawsUp

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) March 8, 2026

With the loss, FIU is now on a five-game losing streak and is 1-9 in their last 10 games.

On Deck

The Panthers return home for one game against FGCU on Tuesday night at 7pm.

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