By Brett Shweky/Editor
FIU starting pitcher Logan Allen fueled the Panthers to a 4-1 victory over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Friday, Feb. 22 in Port Charlotte, Fla. as he threw six scoreless innings and earned his first win of the season.
Allen limited the Jackrabbits to only two hits during his time at the mound and also struck out 10 opposing batters to pace the Panthers.
With the win, FIU (3-2) picked up their third straight victory after falling to the Stony Brook Seawolves in the opening two games of the 2019 campaign.
Left fielder Lorenzo Hampton Jr. fueled the FIU offense by going two-for-three at the plate which included a triple and three runs scored.
Hampton Jr. earned the first run of the outing for Panthers as right fielder Adan Fernandez sent him home on an RBI single after he reached third base on a triple.
During the sixth inning, Fernandez delivered a sacrifice bunt which was poorly played by South Dakota State (2-2) and allowed catcher Jose Garcia to score.
Hampton Jr. tacked on the final two runs of the contest by scoring on a sac fly in the sixth inning and on an RBI single by first baseman Seth Cannady in the eighth which gave the Panthers’ a 4-0 advantage.
Right-handers Gio Soto and Angel Tiburcio closed out the final inning of play by collecting a strikeout and forcing a ground out and a fly out.
Tiburcio earned the save for the FIU after Soto was pulled with one out remaining for allowing the Jackrabbit’s lone run on a walk.
FIU and South Dakota State will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 23 for their final portion of the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. Opening pitch is set for Noon.
