Panthers Fall Short of Comeback in Loss to Hurricanes

MIAMI, FL – From the start of the game, FIU did not display much on offense. Miami used a big five-run inning in the fourth to set the tone for most of this matchup. In the final inning, FIU did a 180 with their hitting and scored five runs. However, it was too little, too late as the Panthers fell short of a comeback in a 9-7 loss to the Hurricanes.

Canes Break Free in the Fourth

The game got off to a quiet start for both sides until Miami’s Brylan West broke the ice with a two-run home run in the second. The former Panther, Brylan West, hit a two-run blast against his former club. He drove in Derek Williams to put the Canes up 2-0.

UM takes a 2-0 lead after a Brylan West Home Run gets him and Derek Williams around the bases vs FIU ⚾️

Top of the 3rd about to get underway…#UM #FIU #Sportswithseb pic.twitter.com/Os3mFj5Glq

— SportswithSeb🏀🏈 (@Sportswithseb) April 7, 2026

Matthew DelVecchio made a relief appearance but got rocked in the fourth inning, allowing a total of four hits and four runs. The Hurricanes showed no mercy in the inning. First, DelVecchio walked Vance Sheahan, which resulted in a wild pitch run. Then, Alonzo Alvarez hit an RBI single, and Fabio Peralta hit a sac fly before the plug was pulled on DelVecchio.

Jeremy Urena entered the game in the same inning, and the Canes capitalized with a solo home run from Jake Ogden, making it a 7-1 game. He would pitch 1.1 innings.

The Panthers got a run back in the sixth on a Samuel Fischer sac fly. At the bottom of the frame, Brennan Confreda was able to retire the side for FIU, but in the seventh, Confreda allowed a two-run homer to Miami’s hottest hitter, Williams. Tyler Mecchella tossed an inning in the eighth.

Down 9-2 in the final frame, the Panthers got two runs back on a deep home run from Cooper Rasmussen. With the bags loaded, Aidan Cohall drew a walk, and then Mario Trivella made the game an interesting one with a two-run single.

Top 9th
FIU 7 | Miami 9

Mario Trivella makes things interesting for FIU with a two-run single #FIU #Panthers #PawsUp pic.twitter.com/oRMFQ3Xb5n

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) April 8, 2026

By this point in the game, the Hurricanes had to go through three relievers in the inning. That’s how deep in their throats the Panthers were with their timely hitting. Trailing 9-7 with two outs, the pressure was all on Trey Freeman to make something happen, but he ended up flying out.

Hitting & Pitching Fall Short

The bats were not awake for FIU until the ninth. They totaled seven hits and left 10 runners on base. Ildefonso, Rasmussen, and Cleveland each had a pair. Their two-out hitting went 1/10, and they were 3/18 with runners on base. A total of 13 batters struck out for the Panthers, yet they managed to have 44 at-bats in the game.

A clear example of the struggles at the plate came in the seventh. With the bases loaded and an opportunity to do some heavy lifting, the Panthers ended up putting it to waste in prime disappointment. All three of their next hitters ended up striking out, two of them caught looking.

The Panthers had the bases loaded with no outs.
How did they fare?

Aris Rivera: K Swinging
Enrique Alvarez Jr.: K Looking
Luca Reyes: K Looking#FIU #Panthers #PawsUp

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) April 8, 2026

TJ Coates improved his record to 5-1 for the Canes. He punched out a career-high of seven in six innings, surrendering three hits and two runs on 99 pitches.

A career night for TJ Coats 👏

Stat line: 6 IP | 3 H | 2 R | 1 ER | 7 K | 99 pitches

7 strikeouts is a new single-game career high for TJ! pic.twitter.com/C9678whaH1

— Miami Hurricanes Baseball (@CanesBaseball) April 8, 2026

For the most part, FIU’s pitchers did nothing but increase their ERAs in the game. Regardless of whether it was a hit or an out, the Hurricanes’ batters were swinging at every good pitch and hitting them far every other at-bat. It was a pattern all night.

The pitching staff got the Hurricanes to fly out 13 times compared to their eight groundouts. Some of those flyouts went into warning track territory. FIU’s pitching cost the game by giving up too many chances with runners on base.

In total, they only raked up three strikeouts. Miami’s best hitters did the brunt of the damage. Ogden, Williams, and West each drove in two runs. Lastres picked up his first loss of the season.

What’s Next

FIU will host Kennesaw State this weekend, with the first game scheduled to start this Friday at 6 pm. Saturday’s game will start at 5 pm, and Sunday’s contest begins at noon.

About Post Author

Ricardo Urrusuno

He’s a diehard 305 native who roots for his hometown teams in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, he graduated from FIU with an MBA, but now he’s a Lemonhead covering UM basketball. Known to be anywhere and everywhere, you may catch him at a Miami sporting event.

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