MIAMI – FIU scored seven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the first inning to take down the Old Dominion baseball team 13-3 on Friday night.
The Panthers (10-15, 3-4 C-USA) led 2-0 behind a pair of ODU errors before hitting back-to-back home runs to take a 5-0 advantage. Jorge Ramirez hit a two-run shot to right field before a solo homer off the bat of Jayden Melendez.
Jacob Gomez entered the game with two outs in the first and allowed a run to score while surrendering consecutive singles but soon got out of the inning. Gomez threw a clean second inning and worked around a two-out walk in the third.
The Monarchs (18-6, 3-4) got on the board in the fourth inning by way of a Robbie Petracci solo homer, but the Panthers got the run back in the bottom half of the inning.
ODU then drew three walks to load the bases with just one out in the fifth, but Andy Garriola and Matt Coutney both struck out to end the threat.
Gomez exited after retiring the side in the fifth. He matched his season high with 4.1 innings of work while allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts.
FIU hit home runs in the sixth and seventh innings to build a 13-1 edge.
Petracci hit a leadoff double in the eighth as ODU tacked on two runs. The sophomore designated hitter moved up to third on a passed ball, and he scored on a Jared Hancock single. After a fly out by Tommy Bell, Kenny Levari singled up the middle to drive home Josh Trujillo, who walked earlier in the inning, from second.
The Panthers loaded the bases in the eighth before Connor Muly struck out two straight to escape the jam. Muly threw the final 1.1 innings, yielding just one hit while striking out three.
Levari and Petracci led the Monarchs with two hits apiece. Each had one RBI, and Petracci scored twice.
The two sides go back at it tomorrow at 6 p.m.
Baseball Drops Series Opener at FIU, 13-3
