FIU Baseball Survives Merrimack Comeback In Style

MIAMI, FL – Rocking the brand new vice look, FIU baseball began its four-game series against the Merrimack Warriors with a surprisingly thrilling win, holding on by a score of 4-3.

Despite seven combined runs between both squads, runs were hard to come by for the majority of the game. The third inning was where the Panthers did most of the damage, cranking three runs.

Spilling Some Vices

The usual suspects were at play. Brylan West sent an RBI single to left field, bringing home the first run of the game. Hector Candelas followed through with a two-run bomb to right field, blowing the door open for the Panthers.

If three runs weren’t enough, FIU added one more insurance run in the fifth. A sacrifice fly from Albert Serrano with the bases loaded brought home West to extend the lead to 4-0. Serrano has now posted four RBIs in his last two games as he continues his hot start to the non-con.

On the mound, Logan Runde continued his hot start to the season with four scoreless innings of work. That included two strikeouts while allowing just three hits. FIU’s ace senior has yet to allow a run in 13 innings this season while striking out 12 batters.

Merrimack would not go out quietly, lighting up the bats in the seventh inning. FIU’s bullpen looked to struggle, but Kevin Martin came in and shut down the Warriors. With three scoreless innings to close out the game, Martin earned a crucial save to limit Merrimack’s damage.

All in all, a solid win for the Panthers to begin the series, but there’s still work to be done. They now stand with an 8-2 record – the best start to a season for FIU since 2020. This series against Merrimack will continue with a two-game doubleheader tomorrow. The first game will start at 2pm with the latter at 6pm.