Richard Gibson/Staff Writer
Coming into this game with a perfect 4-0 record, the Panthers have been hot on offense, and clutch on defense. The George Mason Patriots kept it close, but couldn’t breakthrough. FIU’s pitching staff was unbeatable, and the offense broke through in the sixth inning, lifting the Panthers to a 5-2 win.
George Mason’s first inning wasn’t much, thanks in part to pitcher Logan Allen’s two strikeouts to kick it off. FIU’s first at bat didn’t fare any better- a quick 1-2-3 series.
The second inning for George Mason felt like a repeat of the first- three straight outs. FIU’s second inning saw some action. Two walks by Justin Farmer and Juan Teixiera would give FIU an opportunity, but they were left stranded at the end of the second.
The third inning felt like deja vu for George Mason. Precise pitching by Allen led to three straight outs. Jarrett Ford began the third inning for FIU with a single, with a wild pitch by the Patriot’s pitcher bringing him to third. An RBI by Derek Cartaya would bring Ford home, scoring FIU’s first run of the game, ending the third with a 1-0 lead.
George Mason hasn’t put up a hit up to this point, and the fourth inning didn’t change anything. For FIU, Teixiera would walk, but that’s all FIU would come up with.
The Patriots got their first hit of the game in the fifth, courtesy of a single, then a walk would give them a chance, but a strikeout by Allen would close out the fifth. For FIU, a perfect bunt by Cartaya would bring him to first base. An RBI by Garcia would bring Cartaya home, extending their lead to 2-0 heading to the sixth.
The sixth inning saw a walk for George Mason, but nothing else. Jose Garcia began the sixth with a double, then a single by Farmer put FIU in a good spot. Teixiera hit a single bringing home Garcia. Another single by Luis Chavez brought in Farmer and Teixiera. The flood gates finally opened, and the lead was now 5-0.
All of a sudden, the game turned to keeping George Mason with no runs, and Allen delivered in the seventh, pitching a 1-2-3 series. For FIU, Derek Cartaya got hit by a pitch, but was caught stealing second. That was all FIU got in the seventh inning.
The eighth inning wasn’t kind to the Patriots. After a pitching change to Everett Hurst, a George Mason player was hit by a ball. Hurst wouldn’t let up, and allowed no runs for George Mason in the eighth. A 1-2-3 series for FIU would end the eighth.
George Mason, needing five runs in the ninth inning, couldn’t meet the demand. The Patriots hit a single then walked, and another single brought home a run. A single after that scored another run, but pitcher Gio Soto for FIU held them there, and FIU won by a score of 5-2.
FIU managed eight hits and five RBIs with 30 at bats. Five different players for FIU earned runs, and Teixiera led FIU in hits with two. Chazes led the team in RBIs, with two total. Both teams left five runners on base, as well as two errors.
Head Coach Mervyl Melendez commends the coaching staff for the work they’ve done so far in the season. “Our staff has done a really good job, especially on the offensive side. We’ve instilled in the players a good approach so that they’re not trying to do too much, and I think we’ve seen that in the short season thus far.”
Allen picks up his second win of the season. He had a record night, pitching for seven innings, managing 13 strikeouts, a single-game record.
“We were locked in,” says Allen. “We had a plan of just trying to score as many runs as we can. We had to battle it out today, and that’s just a testament to being a good team- being able to battle through some tough times and scoring when you need to.”
This is only the first of a three-game series with George Mason. The next game will be on Saturday, February 22nd at 6pm. The third will be on Sunday, February 23rd at 12pm. After that, FIU will begin another three-game home series against the Pepperdine Waves, starting on Friday, February 28th.
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