Kansas State defeats FIU 17-5

Sunday March 16, 2003

Kansas State defeats FIU 17-5
Box Score

Following a two hour, ten minute rain delay, The Florida International baseball team got hammered by Kansas State 17-5 Sunday afternoon at University Park. FIU gave up 17 hits and committed four errors in the loss.

The Golden Panthers grabbed an early lead, going up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman infielder Luis Rivera started things off with a single through the left side, and senior outfielder Adam Summerell continued them with a single through the right side. Freshman infielder Mike Lopez then knocked Rivera home with an RBI single to left field.

Kansas State took the lead in the top of the third inning with three runs. The Wildcats notched five hits in the inning, with Tim Doty and Ryan Baldwin each earning RBI with back-to-back singles.

With Kansas State leading 3-1, Rivera got FIU another run in the bottom of the third by reaching on an error, advancing to second on a wild pitch, getting to third on a groundout and finally scoring on a Lopez sacrifice fly.

The Wildcats extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning, scoring eight runs to blow the game wide open. The scoring effort was led by Doty who doubled to lead off the inning and later hit a grand slam home run. Baldwin also got into the act with a two run home run as the Wildcats piled up six hits in the inning.

The visitors then added three more runs in the sixth to extend their lead to 14-2. The runs all came unearned on two separate errors.

FIU junior outfielder Ricardo Nanita got the Golden Panthers back on track with a home run in the bottom half of the inning. Senior infielder Skip Adams then scored on a wild pitch after singling earlier in the inning, making the score 14-4.

Kansas State came back with three runs in the eighth. After an RBI double, Doty knocked in another run with his third double of the game. The Wildcats then got another RBI single to finish their scoring. FIU got a score in the bottom half, when Nanita singled through the right side to bring home Summerell.

The Golden Panthers next host Stony Brook tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Radiate 88, FIU’s student radio station. The student broadcast can be heard on 88.1 FM in Miami or on the Internet at http://wrgp.fiu.edu/sports.