MIAMI, FL – Over the past week, FIU Softball had a clean sweep while hosting the Feslberg Invitational. Coming into the season, the program was expected to improve on last season’s record.
They demonstrated firepower in hitting and pitching throughout the tournament. Now, FIU Softball finds itself in a good spot early on in the season after sweeping through the Felsberg Invitational.
Day One: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
The Panthers kicked off their 2026 season by defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in consecutive games.
Thursday night, J’dah Girigorie had an excellent debut on the mound. She tossed a complete game, allowing just four hits and an earned run. Girigorie also struck out nine. It was the first time since 2022, when Kendahl Dunford punched out 12 batters, that FIU had that many strikeouts in a game from a pitcher.
FIU posted big rallies in the fourth and fifth innings, where they scored three runs in each. Paige Miller hit a two-run triple all the way to the center field wall. Isabella Perez hit a sacrifice fly afterwards to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead.
PAIGE clears the bases with a triple to the wall 👌 pic.twitter.com/ebGI8mL8aZ
— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) February 6, 2026
With the bases loaded, Kennedy Byrd earned an RBI groundout. Leah Clark hit a triple to center, driving in two runs, and capping off the scoring for FIU. Clark had two extra-base hits in her Panther debut. Kally Meredith led the team with three base hits.
The Panthers secured the 6-2 victory.
Day Two: Friday Doubleheader
In game one of Friday’s doubleheader and game two overall against the Islanders, they picked up where they left off the previous night.
Kennedy Byrd tossed a complete game in five innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs, and a pair of walks.
Meredith started the game with a leadoff inside-the-park home run on the first pitch. It was her first time circling the bases since 2024. Then, FIU had a huge eight-run third inning. Clark and Riley Silvers each delivered with two-run singles to give them the 5-1 advantage.
LEADOFF INSIDE THE PARK HOMER FOR KALLY 😱 pic.twitter.com/0Y0OgANR1T
— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) February 6, 2026
Afterwards in the inning, Zamya McBurrows stepped up to the plate and smacked a grand slam, making it a 9-1 ballgame. McBurrows went 3/3 with two runs.
FIU single-handedly got the 10-2 dub in what was a run-rule victory.
The Panthers continued their day by facing the Louisville Cardinals for the first time over the weekend.
Down 2-0 in the ballgame, Byrd quickly erased that by recording a two-run double to tie things up. FIU would go on to lead 3-2 until Louisville tied the game in the fifth inning.
The Panthers’ bats woke up in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Isabella Perez walked to give FIU the 4-3 advantage. Janelle Martinez then drove in two more runs as a result of a throwing error from the Cardinals’ shortstop. Kendall Catherwood added onto the rally with a double to give FIU the 7-3 lead.
CHAOS and WE GO UP THREE 😱 pic.twitter.com/BlKCOThoou
— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) February 7, 2026
Meagan Villazon made her Panther debut tossing six innings, allowing three earned runs, two walks, and striking out three batters. She faced some trouble in the final inning, allowing two base runners before getting pulled. It opened the door for Grigorie to come in relief for the seventh inning.
Louisville was able to score two runs off of her, but she was able to post her first career save. FIU won 7-5.
Day Three: Stony Brook & Lehigh Doubleheader
FIU began the day against Stony Brook.
Brooke McNichols blanked through Stony Brook’s offense. She threw a 79-pitch complete game, two-hit shutout, striking out three. This was her first complete game since February 28, 2025.
complete game two-hit shutout for Brooke🙂↔️ pic.twitter.com/cI78tcYeql
— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) February 7, 2026
The Panthers took care of business on offense by scoring all their runs in the first four innings against the Seawolves.
In the first inning, Zelenka got it going with an RBI single, and then Byrd ripped a double into center. Miller capped off the scoring with a sacrifice bunt, making it 3-0.
McBurrows smacked a double down the third base line to plate a run in the second inning. Then in the third, Clark picked up her sixth RBI, to make it a 5-0 contest.
The final run for the Panthers came off another McBurrows hit in the fourth inning. She finished the game with three hits and a run scored. FIU earned a 6-0 victory.
The Panthers then took on Lehigh.
Girigorie started the game in the circle and also threw a complete game shutout. She struck out five hitters and surrendered six hits on just 66 pitches.
FIU scored all its runs against the Mountain Hawks in the first three innings. Kennedy Byrd got it started with an RBI in the first. Kendall Catherwood followed through with an RBI double in the second. Zanya McBurrows then smashed the ball to the wall for two additional runs.
we LOVE a BELLA BOMB 💣 pic.twitter.com/DCeQ8P462x
— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) February 8, 2026
In the third inning, Isabella Perez hit a two-run shot, her first of the season. FIU won 6-0 for the second time in the day.
Already with a 5-0 record, the Panthers had their best start to a season since they went 8-0 in 2001. A season in which they went on to win 44 games.
Day Four: Louisville
The Panthers finished off the Felsberg Invitational against Power Four opponent Louisville for the second time over the weekend.
FIU started the game with a pair of runs in the second inning, capped off by a Paige Miller RBI single. She finished the game with three hits and two runs scored. However, the Cardinals responded with four unanswered runs to take the lead.
wreaking HAVOC on the bases and we LEAD 🤪 pic.twitter.com/27sn2FHrVz
— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) February 8, 2026
Not long after that, FIU came back in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded, both Janelle Martinez and Kendall Catherwood walked to even up the game.
Kally Meredith gave FIU their go-ahead runs after Louisville’s pitcher mishandled the ball and made a costly throw. Martinez came in clutch again in the fifth, hitting a two-RBI single, giving them an 8-4 edge. She had a three-RBI day with a run. Louisville scored another run, but FIU pulled away 8-5.
KALLY puts it in play and we score TWO 😅 pic.twitter.com/gDQpl21Y9Y
— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) February 8, 2026
Kennedy Byrd got the win in 3.1 innings of relief. She also recorded two hits and two runs. J’dah Girigorie tossed a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh to earn the save.
FIU was the only undefeated team in the tournament, marking the first time they had done so at the Felsberg Invitational since 2021.
D1 Softball Mid-Major Rankings
After a 6-0 opening weekend, FIU Softball earned a spot on D1Softball’s Week 1 Mid-Major Top 25 Rankings. They climbed up to 17th in the poll rankings, which is the highest in Conference USA.
the Panthers have entered the chat 😏 pic.twitter.com/vWCfygvpIG
— FIU Softball (@FIUSoftball) February 9, 2026
About Post Author
More Stories
Panthers Outdueled at the Plate in Loss to Owls
Panthers Clinch Spot In CUSA Tournament With Win Over WKU
FIU Pitching Struggles in 7-Inning Blowout Loss to FAU