Erick Caldera | Staff writer
The Panthers delivered a strong offensive performance Tuesday night, scoring nine runs in a 9–1 win over Florida Atlantic.
They now turn their attention to a three-game series against Louisiana Tech, a conference matchup with major implications for CUSA seeding. After breaking out offensively against FAU, FIU will look to carry that momentum into the series while building consistency on both sides of the field.
The Panthers last met Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La., where the Bulldogs took both games in a two-game series.
The series opens Thursday at 6 p.m. at FIU Baseball Stadium, it continues Friday at 6 p.m., and wraps up Saturday at 3 p.m.
On the mound, FIU took a different approach against the Owls, turning to seven pitchers over the course of the game. Matthew DelVecchio got the start, delivering two scoreless innings with a strikeout, while Mason Koczwara earned his first win of the season with two no-hit innings in relief.
With pitching inconsistencies continuing throughout the season, Head Coach Rich Witten used the midweek matchup to evaluate his staff and test different options on the mound.
“It’s a strategic move in a midweek game when you have a conference weekend series coming up. We want to use a lot of guys, get them work, and keep them fresh for the weekend so they’re available starting Thursday,” Witten said.
With the pitching staff holding the Owls to just one run, the Panthers were able to stay aggressive at the plate. Aidan Cohall sparked the offense with a two-run double in the fourth inning, and Cole Cleveland followed the next inning with a two-run hit down the left-field line.
The seventh inning put the game out of reach, as FIU added five more runs to extend the lead to 9–1.
“A lot of it is just trusting the work we put in. It’s been a rough patch, but it’s about trusting each other and showing up every day expecting to win,” Cole Cleveland said on the team’s mindset moving forward.
The Panthers will look to carry that momentum into their upcoming conference series against Louisiana Tech as they aim to build consistency and climb the CUSA standings.
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