Becerra Records Cycle As FIU Baseball Survives & Wins Series Over NM State

To think that FIU Baseball would focus on holding on to a lead tonight after letting a 10-0 score slip away from their hands last night MAY have been too much to ask.

What matters is the final score, not how you get there or what you lose in the process. For FIU, a 10-2 lead was ultimately given up as the New Mexico State Aggies rallied and tied the game up.

In the top of the ninth, however, FIU blew open the gates with seven runs in one inning, making a second Aggies rally impossible, as they take the series over NM State by a score of 18-12.

Just like last night, almost every batter provided some sort of success at bat, but tonight was special for Armando Becerra, who accomplished something that none were expecting – a cycle.

A special performance at-bat from Becerra included a single, double, triple, and home run for the second cycle in FIU Baseball history. The last time a Panther (Technically, Sunblazer) accomplished this was from Joe Hughes back on March 23rd, 1980 against the UCF Knights.

In total, Becerra racked up five hits in six at-bats, including seven runs batted in and two doubles, including one in the ninth inning to give FIU the lead.

Numbers-wise…this game was insane from a batter’s perspective. The Panthers racked up 23 total hits and only left eight runners on base. The fifth, sixth, and eighth innings were the only ones that FIU didn’t score in.

However, the Aggies still found a way to rally from a massive deficit as FIU’s bullpen struggled to keep them at bay for the second straight day. With 14 hits of their own, that should usually be more than enough to win a baseball game.

But it was all for not as following Becerra’s RBI double, Ryne Guida hit an RBI single, Alex Ulloa doubled up, then Austin Dearing cleared the bases with a home run to right field.

The good vibes keep rolling on for the Panthers, who currently stand with a 22-17 record, including three-straight wins. They’ll look for the season sweep against the Aggies tomorrow at 1pm before taking on the Dallas Baptist Patriots in the upcoming weekend.