Gniadek tosses complete game in win over Louisiana

Jonathan Jacobskind/ Staff Writer 

jonathan.jacobskind@fiusm.com

After managing to hold a 5-2 lead against the seventh ranked team in the nation, the Panthers squandered eight consecutive runs to lose game one of their double-header.

The Ragin’ Cajuns managed to weather the storm early as they cooled down the Panthers in the first game of the doubleheader 10-5 on April 10. Winners of the past 11 of 12 Sun Belt titles, the Ragin’ Cajuns boast the No. 7 ranking in the nation.

Mariah Dawson was on the bump for FIU as the righty was rocked early. Nerissa Myers belted a two-run home run over the centerfield fence in the opening inning to give the Ragin’ Cajuns the initial lead. Myers accounted for five runs batted in, half of her squad’s RBI’s.

“First game we came out flying. We had that 5-2 lead halfway in the first game,” head coach Jake Schumann stated. “We just stopped playing… we basically only played four innings of the game.”

FIU did not hesitate to answer back in the opening inning as shortstop Kayla Burri jacked a solo home run over the right field fence, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Jordan Wallace tossed a wild pitch in the bottom half of the second for the Ragin’ Cajuns, allowing pinch runner Rachel Slowick to score, tying the game at 2-2.

Right fielder Ashley McClain smacked a blooper over the shortstop Myers, scoring leadoff hitter Erika Arcuri to take a 3-2 lead.

Second baseman Brie Rojas extended the Panther lead to 5-2, with a two-run blast scaling over the right field fence in the third inning.

That would be the last run FIU scored.

The fourth inning marked the end of the night for FIU’s Dawson, as she continued to have trouble striking out Myers, who hit a bases-clearing double, tying the game at five apiece.

Christi Orgeron, who bats a .393 average, then delivered a two-run home run over the left center fence, catapulting the ULL lead to 7-5.

Righty Shelby Graves came in for relief, but center Fielder Brianna Cherry jolted a leadoff home run in the top of the fifth. UL went on to score two more runs to finish off FIU.

Despite dropping the first game, then Burri used the loss as motivation for the following game.

“[The loss] gave us a lot of intensity to move on to the second game,” Burri said. “We know that we can get runners around and score.”

FIU 2 ULL 1

The Panthers hoped to sweep the Ragin Cajuns to overtake the top spot in the conference but failed in doing so by dropping the first game.

Behind a complete game from starter Jenn Gniadek, FIU was able to steal the second game of the April 10 doubleheader, 2-1. FIU’s win marked the second loss of the season for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Right fielder McClain, best described it Gniadek’s performance as, “putting the team on her back.”

Gniadek registered her fifth win of the year, giving up one run and striking out seven Louisiana batters.

“This [game] was probably one of the best [games] I have had in my life,” Gniadek said. “This season I’ve struggled a little bit, so it felt great to finally play better.”

With the win, the Panthers remained only two games behind first place in the Sun Belt Conference.

“We’re always out for a vengeance for UL,” Gniadek said. “They’re always usually number one in the conference so we always try to beat them.”

Myers got the leadoff walk for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the top of the third. Orgeron drove her in with a slicing liner into center field giving ULL a 1-0 lead. Gniadek did not allow another run for the entire game and surrendered just five hits.

In the bottom third, Burri hit a stand up double down the third base line that barely escaped past third basemen Natalie Fernandez.

McClain, who leads the team with a .419 average, trotted to the batter’s box. McClain laid down a sacrifice groundout to second as Burri scored the eventual game deciding run, putting FIU up 2-1.

“We came out strong, hitting hard, scoring runs,” McClain said. “In the end, it was just who outhit who at the right time.”