FIU Baseball Gives Up 10-0 Lead, Rallies Back & Win In Extra Innings Over NM State

On Friday night, the FIU Panthers had the chance to match their 2023 win total, a remarkable achievement at this point in the season.

All things considered, the Panthers led 10-0 at one point, but the Aggies didn’t give up and ultimately tied and took the lead late in the game. FIU ended up forcing extra innings, and

In the top of the first inning, designated hitter Ryne Guida smacked an RBI double, driving in center fielder Armando Becerra to give FIU a 1-0 lead. Guida was followed up by a Jeff Liquori base hit and shortstop Alex Ulloa drove him in on an RBI single.

Guida, one of the seniors on the Panthers ended the night with two RBIs, driving in another run in the top of the second inning. His RBI total this season is now at 36, which moves him up to ninth amongst CUSA.

In the top of the third, Alex Ulloa, Brylan West, and Armando Becerra homered along with a Ulloa and Chase Engelhard RBI double. That added up to seven more runs, giving FIU a 10-0 lead early on.

Cameron Knox, one of the Panthers’ more consistent pitchers this season struggled on Friday night, giving up three earned runs off of four hits and one walk. Knox only recorded one strikeout, but thankfully was able to work with a lead each time he took the mound.

In for Knox was Logan Runde, who was expected to potentially take the Panthers through the rest of the game, but was able to throw only 11 pitches before being removed due to what seemed like a left oblique injury.

Runde’s injury would throw off the original plan for the Panthers and Orlando Hernandez struggled, walking two and giving up three runs off of two hits in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Aggies also hit a homer off of Runde in the bottom of the fifth, so entering the sixth inning, New Mexico State trailed, 10-8, but the comeback became a possibility.

Unfortunately, Hernandez wouldn’t be able to hold onto the lead, nor finish the game as he ended up giving two earned runs, but due to defensive errors, the Aggies scored five runs.

They ended up tying the game ten apiece and pitching coach Karsten Whitson had to bring in former SEC arm Ryan Cabarcas.

Cabarcas entered the game with inherited runners and the one at third would end up scoring, giving the Aggies an 11-10 lead.

In the top of the eighth, an RBi single by Dearing came in clutch to keep the Panthers in this, tying the game up and forcing extra innings…in a game that they led 10-0 in the third inning.

Regardless, after an uneventful 10th inning, the Panthers broke through with an RBI single from Roylan Quevedo to take a 13-11 lead. After all that happened, their defense held up and secured a hard-fought win.

With all that said, FIU’s record stands at 21-17, which is the same win total as all of last season, and they still have 17 regular-season games to go including tomorrow as they look to take the series at 4pm.