By Christian Almanza/Staff Writer
The FIU Panthers earned their first series sweep of the 2019 season after edging out Seton Hall 6-5 on Sunday at the FIU Baseball Stadium on a pivotal Juan Teixeira home run.
It was in the bottom of the sixth inning that Teixeira saved the day for FIU after launching a three-run dinger that erased the Pirates’ lead and gave the Panthers a 5-4 advantage.
The home run was the first of the season for Teixeira, who went 1-for-4 on the day with three RBIs and one run.
With the win, FIU (9-6) stretches their winning streak to four games, while Seton Hall (1-9) drops their fourth-consecutive outing.
Everett Hurst (3-0) earned the win for the Panthers after allowing one hit and zero runs in two innings pitched.
Christian Santana started the first five innings for FIU with him having given up 5 hits and four runs.
Blaise Panzini (1-1) took the loss for Seton Hall as he allowed three runs off one hit in the bottom of the sixth.
FIU fell behind early on a sunny Sunday afternoon as Seton Hall came out hot. The Pirates scored three runs in the first inning thanks to a homer from senior Sebastiano Santorelli and an RBI single from catcher Jerry Huntzinger.
The Panthers were able to get on the board with two runs of their own in the bottom frame as they took advantage of early mishaps by Seton Hall starting pitcher Tyler Burnham.
Burnham walked the first three batters of the game to load the bases which caused Seton Hall head coach Rob Sheppard to react quickly and pull the pitcher early.
FIU went on to score on a hit-by-pitch that brought home Derek Cartaya and also a sacrifice fly by Lorenzo Hampton Jr. which plated Austin Shenton.
Sophomore right-hander Sean Miller, who entered for Burnham, supplied Seton Hall with a stellar performance.
Miller tossed a no-hitter through six innings for the Pirates with him having struck out six of the 17 batters he faced while walking only two.
The Panthers trailed most of the game by a score of 4-2 due to Miller’s dazzling performance.
FIU added an insurance run in the seventh inning and was able to retain the lead the rest of the contest.
Sophomore pitcher Jose Verla notched his second save of the year after retiring the final two batters.
Santorelli went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run for Seton Hall.
Next up, the Panthers will conclude their six-game homestand as they face off against Stetson on Tuesday evening at the FIU Baseball Stadium. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
