FIU Baseball Demolished by Bucknell In Saturday Showdown

MIAMI, FL – With a series win on the line, FIU Baseball needed to bounce back against Bucknell in the Saturday showdown, but the Panthers couldn’t stop the Bison’s bats as they fell by a score of 14-3 in a run rule. After the blown lead last night, a blowout this extreme at FIU’s ballpark is a tough pill to swallow.

A Tough Stampede To Stop

It’s easier to mention the positives for the Panthers first and then go over what went wrong in the run rule. FIU wasn’t no-hit, which was a possibility until the fourth inning when Brendan Roney homered to left field, bringing home Austin Dearing. Before that, Alex Ulloa cashed in on a sacrifice flyout, bringing home Brylan West.

Aside from that, this game was a disaster. A leadoff single to start the game was a bad omen, but a two-run homer for Bucknell right after was even worse. Logan Runde began on a hot streak for FIU this season but has since been on a slump. Today continued that, allowing three hits and seven earned runs in 3.1 innings.

Four runs in the first and second innings put FIU in a 4-1 hole, but things were about to get worse. The Panthers proceeded to give up 10 more runs – five in the fourth inning and five in the sixth. Down by 14 runs, this game was called early as the Panthers couldn’t respond afterward.

All in all, this was a tough loss for FIU that’ll deny them a series win, especially considering the 6-8 record Bucknell had entering this series. They’ll still look to end the series on a positive note tomorrow at noon. There’s no midweek matchup this week, so the Panthers will instead prepare for a CUSA series against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks next Friday in the 305.