FIU Panthers vs. UM Hurricanes – Apr. 25th & 26th, 2017

I mean, we all know what happened when the University of Miami Hurricanes and the Florida International University Panthers faced off on the football field in 2006 right? The melee, Roman-Colosseum-gladiator type fuckfest that ensued was epic. Well, if that doesn’t at least tip you off to some kind of indication that Miami has a little rivalry brewing here, then I can’t help you. A rivalry more based on proximity and sassy-ness than anything else, these two baseball teams have the chance to actually make it more about the play on the field. The Hurricanes baseball  team has struggled this season (20-20), this is not the team that went into the NCAA College World Series last year. The Panthers, on the other hand, have recently gone the opposite direction in the way of expectations. A 25-17 team has plenty to be excited about in their current season and with a look ahead to future recruiting classes. The somewhat momentary decline of one program and increase of the other makes this a more evenly matched rivalry, with the added juice of the aforementioned feisty-ness.

BallGame! #Walkoff! @FIUBaseball pic.twitter.com/Ym51FUUfqH

— Lemon City Live (@LemonCityLive) March 9, 2017

Here’s what happened the first series these two teams were involved in this season. Game 1, FIU spanked that ass, like hard! A 12-1 embarrassment kicked off the home and home for Miami as they took the beating in their own home, Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park. The next night was the walk-off game by FIU won in the bottom of the ninth. Much later in the season, we meet again. Another home and home on consecutive days and a chance for Miami to redeem themselves as the premier baseball program in South Florida or Florida International to state their claim.

The first game of this series went the way of the previous one. A back and forth affair that featured a walkoff, Miami took home the victory at FIU Baseball Stadium. The eventual winning run came on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth in a game that featured 4 ties and 4 lead changes and the Hurricanes got one back from FIU by a final score of 8-7. With a chance to even the season series for Miami and FIU to win it, the two teams met for a fourth and final time in Coral Gables on Wednesday night. Oh, yeah. Did I forget to mention that the benches cleared immediately following the game? Chippy!

Miami started the scoring off tonight in the bottom of the first. An RBI triple by James Davidson got it started before a Carl Chester RBI groundout brought in the second run of the inning for the Canes. A JC Escarra bomb in the third brought FIU within one. The fifth inning featured a tie in the top half by FIU and yet another attempt to pull away by Miami in the bottom by adding two more runs. Here’s the deal, I dont do play-by-play, but the ending to this one was just as dramatic as all but one game in the season series has been between these two programs.

Adam Sevario singles to left followed by a C.J. Witkowski pinch-hit to center. A double play gone wrong, an errand throw and Sevario is in for the game tying run. But FIU wasn’t done there. JC Escarra didn’t get fill up on RBIs just from his homer earlier in the game. Homeboy comes up and singles to the right side to score Irving Lopez from second when a throw to home came not in time. Michael Agis then made quick work of the UM hitters in the bottom half to ensure the season series victory for Florida International.

It’s a wrap! Romy Gonzalez pops up end the game, giving @FIUBaseball the 5-4 win over @CanesBaseball. FIU takes the series 3-1. #MIAvsFIU pic.twitter.com/iAczDxo9fh

— Lemon City Live (@LemonCityLive) April 27, 2017

Both teams move back to conference play as Miami moves on to a weekend series at the Boston College Eagles and FIU goes to West Palm Beach to take on the Florida Atlantic University Owls.

For a complete photo gallery from these games, please CLICK HERE. 

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