A rough outing pitching-wise and a late rally cut short resulted in FIU dropping their series opener against Middle Tennessee by a score of 12-8.
The Panthers found themselves in an early 8-0 hole. Ultimately, their bats woke up late, cutting the lead to only two in the sixth. Still, the comeback fell short as the Blue Raiders held on.
Unfortunately, Easton Marks did not make the most of tonight’s start, giving up 10 hits and nine earned runs. In total, the pitching staff gave up an astounding 16 hits. Offensively, Alex Ulloa led the way with three hits and three RBIs.
Middle Tennessee wasted no time creating a big lead, scoring eight runs in the first three innings on four extra-base hits. Nelson Rivera Flores responded with a two-run single, followed by some extra runs batted in by Austin Dearing and Samuel Fischer to cut the lead in half.
In the sixth inning, Alex Ulloa smacked a two-run single, then Brylan West was hit by a pitch to bring in another run, cutting the lead to 9-7.
Unfortunately, FIU’s efforts came up short as the Blue Raiders extended their lead with two more runs in the sixth and a solo home run in the seventh, raising their lead to 11-7. Ulloa responded with an RBI double in the eighth inning, but Middle Tennessee added one more insurance run off a wild pitch right afterward.
That loss drops FIU’s record to 17-10 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Game two of the series is on Saturday at 4pm.
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