Panthers avoid Bear trap, sweeps Brown

By Eduardo Almaguer/Staff Writer

Before going to bed on March 2, it looks like the Panthers made sure to lay out some Bear traps on the field for Saturday and Sunday’s game.

Backed by stellar pitching performances and plenty of sacrifice flies, the Panthers won the final two games against the Brown University Bears to complete the sweep in their home opening series.

FIU (4-5) allowed only eight walks in both games, a vast improvement over the previous two series. Though right-hander Eddy Pidermann’s relief outing on Saturday and senior left-hander R.J Fondon’s strong start on Sunday were important, the staff as a whole combined for a 2.00 ERA in the final two games.For the third straight series, FIU out hit its opponent, this time overpowering Brown (0-3) 28-22.

The Panthers managed to scratch out their second one-run win in just as many nights despite leaving 12 runners on base.

Sophomore Michael Ellis started his second game of the season and last five innings, allowed three earned runs, walked four batters, and struck out four Bears.

The bullpen, however, outshone the starter. Closer Michael Gomez and right-hander Eddy Pidermann combined for four innings, three hits, one walks and six strikeouts.

Junior Adam Kirsch, Friday night’s hero, pulled through for his team with two RBIs, two hits and two walks to lead the offense.

For the second night in a row, Brown struck first, this time on a Mike DiBiase two-run homerun.

They extended their lead to 3-0 on a fielder’s choice, but Kirsch had a two-out RBI hit to bring his team to within one.

FIU played small ball from that point, tying the game on a Pablo Bermudez sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.

Freshman Oscar Aguirre, one of the three Panthers to have at least two hits, followed suit and gave his team the lead with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.

Pidermann came out of the bullpen and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in what head coach Turtle Thomas labeled “his best outing of the season.”

Thomas wasn’t the only Panther impressed.

“That’s the best cutter I’ve ever seen,” said Aguirre after the game. “He has command of every single pitch.”

Gomez closed out the game with a four-out save, striking out all four Bears he faced.

FIU 8, BROWN 3

After Saturday’s game, Aguirre said that his team needed to start off good in the final game of the series.

It looks like his team, specifically junior T.J Shantz, heard the message.

Shantz took advantage of the wind blowing to right field and launched an opposite field home run in the first inning to put his team on the board.

“Thankfully the wind was blowing out,” Shantz said with a laugh.

Fondon then took over for his team, giving the longest outing of an FIU starter so far this season. He pitched seven innings, allowed five hits, one earned run, two walks and struck out seven batters.

“RJ went out and threw like a senior is supposed to throw. That was the best thing going today,” Thomas said.

Fondon’s only blemish on the day was in the third inning when he gave up three straight hits, the last of which drove in a run for Brown to tie the game 1-1.

FIU answered right back in the fourth when freshman Aramis Garcia recorded his first collegiate RBI with a sacrifice fly. Kirsch hit another sacrifice fly in the following inning to give FIU a 3-1 lead over Brown.

Brown pitcher Ed Fitzpatrick made his collegiate debut in the sixth inning and the Panthers wasted no time roughing him up. After issuing three consecutive walks to load the bases, he hit Shantz with a pitch then allowed two consecutive sacrifice flies as FIU broke the game open with a 6-1 lead.

The Panthers scored two more in the eighth on an error and a single, and stifled a comeback from Brown in the final inning, eventually winning 8-3.

FIU squares off against the Miami Marlins tonight in Marlins Park at 7 p.m. They follow that up with another home weekend series against Fordham University.