FIU Pitching Struggles in 7-Inning Blowout Loss to FAU

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BOCA RATON, FL – Having dropped two of their last three series, FIU Baseball was poised to come back in their first three-game road matchup of the season. They got off to a promising start against the FAU Owls, but the game quickly got out of hand.

The Panthers were quiet all night long and had nothing show for it. Overall, the FIU pitching staff continued to struggle in a 7-inning 14-2 blowout loss to FAU.

FAU Explodes on FIU’s Pitching

Preston Prince got the start in the series opener against FAU. He took care of business in his season debut, tossing two scoreless innings, allowing just a pair of hits and walks while striking out two hitters.

The Panthers got on the board first in the second inning after Aris Rivera hit an RBI single to score Hector Candelas. Rivera had two of FIU’s six total hits.

Aris gets us on the board early 😤 pic.twitter.com/mI73k0ENLy

— FIU Baseball (@FIUBaseball) March 7, 2026

However, the Owls responded with four runs in the third off of Quin McManmon. He got credited with the loss after he allowed three hits and four runs in one inning. His ERA climbed to 9.00 after throwing 31 pitches.

FAU scored three additional runs in the fourth to take a 7-1 lead. Then, in the fifth, they added two more. Mason Koczawa gave up two hits and three walks on five runs in two innings. Koczawa’s ERA stands at 7.45 now.

In the sixth inning and up by plenty already, the Owls added five more runs on the board to make it a 14-1 blowout. After recording just one out, Rene Lastres claimed responsibility for four runs and three walks. Most notably, he was having trouble hitting the strike zone. He had a wild pitch and was only able to throw six strikes on 22 pitches. His ERA jumped to 9.00.

Taggert Cameron was able to quickly record the last two outs despite giving up a run.

In the top of the seventh, Trey Freeman collected his first collegiate hit on a home run, to make it a 14-2 game. That was all the offense FIU would get before losing via the mercy rule.

Top 7th
FIU 2 | FAU 14

Trey Freeman’s first career hit for FIU is a home run #FIU | #Panthers | #PawsUp

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) March 7, 2026

FIU Lacking in its Offense and Two-Out Defense

This was the third consecutive contest in which FIU struggled again with their bats. Samuel Fischer, Candelas, and Vicente Feliciano were the other Panthers with hits. Feliciano’s double was the only extra-base hit. As a team, they didn’t draw any walks in the game, contributing to their struggles in getting base runners.

They also struck out in double digits for the third consecutive game with 10. A combined total of 35 strikeouts in those games is their most in program history in such a span. FAU advanced 24 runners while FIU did so just twice. James Litman was unsolvable on the mound for the Owls. He threw a 107-pitch complete game.

Tipping our cap to James Litman this evening with 𝕤𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟 innings pitched, 𝕥𝕖𝕟 strikeouts and 𝕫𝕖𝕣𝕠 batters walked. 🧢🔥#WIP 🏝️ pic.twitter.com/aHetDkd3Gg

— Florida Atlantic Baseball (@FAUBaseball) March 7, 2026

A huge part of their problems in allowing a run this season has been with two outs, and their game against the Owls was no different. With two outs, the Owls hit .444 (4/9) at the plate, and with runners in scoring position, they hit .389 (7/18). The Owls also hit .536 (15/28) when there were advancement opportunities.

On Deck

The Panthers return home to the 305 to face FAU for a Saturday evening game at 6pm.

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