MIAMI, FL – There was no doubt about it, the first game of the baseball season had it all, with the unlikely visitors giving FIU all they could handle.
The Panthers saw what the Long Island Sharks could bring with a 4-0 deficit early, but FIU kept their cool and bounced back to survive with an onslaught on offense in the fifth and seventh innings, primarily off of walks with the bases loaded.
“You know, we were probably a little too aggressive,” said head coach Rich Witten postgame. “Our swings were a little too big. As the game went on, we settled down into a more of an approach that was that we want to be known for.”
Overall, the Panthers started slow and that defined the momentum of this game in favor of Long Island but circled back to take a 6-4 dub.
Determination Of A Shark Strikes First
The first inning for both teams was defined by the starters wheeling and dealing, as Jackson Ritchey looked to have a promising start to the 2024 season.
But while FIU was the team that’s renowned for their power, it was the Sharks that broke through on the scoreboard. With two outs in the top of the second inning, a solo homer by Jack Power stunned the Panthers faithful early on.
In the third inning, things hit the rails when three straight runs were earned by the Sharks. A pair of singles both led to RBIs, and a failed check off a pick turned into a massive mistake as FIU now faced a 4-0 deficit.
The Cats Are Never Out Of It
After an uneventful fourth inning, the Comeback Cats turned on the jets and had their way, with a fantastic fifth inning headlined by an RBI double by Guida.
On top of that, an RBI single by Armando Becerra doubled up the score, and a walk with the bases loaded added FIU’s third run. Get ready to hear that again down the line.
The Panthers did not let up in the sixth inning with another RBI by Guida, who brought consistency at the plate today. Now down by just a run, the seventh inning was very kind to FIU.
If there was one thing LIU struggled at today, it was giving up walks. The proved to be their ultimate downfall as two more Panthers runs were credited off of walks with the bases loaded, upping the FIU lead to 6-4.
Despite some scares in the eighth inning on defense, the Panthers were ultimately able to hold on and secure a hard-earned win on Opening Day.
This was a busy day on offense for both squads, with 14 total hits. With that said, the damage could have been even worse as the Panthers had 13 runners left on base.
On top of that, there were more than a few bombs to center field that were caught on the warning track, only inches away from some homers.
With all that said, Logan Runde earned five strikeouts in four innings of work, earning himself his first win of the season.
“I was nervous in my first frame. And then I was like, Alright, I need to settle down and just go pitch,” said Runde postgame. “So try to keep it as simple as possible and try to have fun.”
FIU will continue this series with Long Island tomorrow for a doubleheader starting at 2 pm, with the latter scheduled for 6 pm. The series will end on Sunday at noon, then the Panthers will travel to Daytona to take on Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday, February 20th.
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