FIU Swept By Kennesaw, Allow 26 Runs In Three Game Series

This slump for the Panthers continues. FIU was swept by Kennesaw State, losing by a score of 10-3 in a disaster CUSA road series.

From the get-go, the Owls led and never looked back, taking a commanding 4-0 lead in just two innings. Off a two-run triple and an RBI groundout alongside a run on a fielder’s choice later on, this was not a good outing for Juan Villarreal. He went two innings and allowed two hits, four walks, and four runs (three earned) while only recording a single strikeout.

FIU was silent offensively, with their solo run in the third inning being their only run scored until the eighth. That was scored by an RBI groundout from Austin Dearing, which brought home Brylan West. Still, the Panthers were down 4-1 through it all.

A Bad First Impression

Meanwhile, Kennesaw State scored five unanswered runs after the top of the third inning. Thanks to a run off another fielder’s choice, a solo home run, and two off an error, their lead was raised to 9-1.

FIU was quiet for a while until the eighth inning, when they scored the final two runs of the game. An RBI double from Javier Crespo and an RBI single from Cole Cleveland cut the deficit, but nowhere near enough. The Owls responded with their cherry on top – a solo homer right afterwards for the 10-3 win. In their first-ever meeting in baseball, FIU was swept by Kennesaw.

Swept Under The Rug

Well, this series was a disaster. With four straight losses and now under .500 conference record, the Panthers are faltering at the worst time of the season. FIU was underwhelming batting-wise, and pitching-wise? They gave up 26 total runs in three games against the Owls.

There are still games to be played against the best in CUSA – Dallas Baptist, Western Kentucky, and Liberty. Standings-wise, the ship is sinking for FIU and might be sinking some more.

Now with a 22-17 overall record, the Panthers will play a pair of upcoming midweek games. The first is in Fort Myers against FGCU on Tuesday, and the second is at home against Miami the day after. They’ll then start a weekend series against WKU on Friday, April 25th at 6:30pm.