Wednesday May 21, 2003

Hilltoppers eat up FIU pitching, top Golden Panthers in SBC Tournament
Box Score

The Florida International baseball team lost to Western Kentucky 13-9 in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Wednesday afternoon at “Tigue” Moore Field in Lafayette, La. The Hilltoppers took advantage of FIU pitching, knocking out 18 hits and four home runs.

Despite trailing most of the contest, the Golden Panthers continued to fight back. Trailing 13-5 in the eighth inning, freshman infielder Mike Lopez started things off with a walk and then junior outfielder Ricardo Nanita got hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Senior outfielder Solomon Frieder then reached base for the fifth time, following Nanita up with an RBI single before senior outfielder Adam Summerell pinch hit and knocked out a three-run home run.

The comeback bid fell short. With WKU up 13-9, Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year Matt Wilhite entered in the ninth inning and retired three straight batters to end the game.

Tim Grogan gave the Hilltoppers a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, hitting a solo home run with two outs.

FIU wasted no time in answering, as the leadoff hitter in the second inning, Frieder, hit the first pitch out for a home run. The home run was Frieder’s third of the season, and tied the score at 1-1.

Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Luis Rivera ignited another scoring inning in the third with a double down the left field line. First team all-conference selection Bryan Pullin followed Rivera by advancing him to third with a groundout. After Lopez walked, second team all-conference selection Ricardo Nanita hit an RBI single through the right side, giving the Golden Panthers a 2-1 lead.

This time, FIU’s lead was short-lived, as Matt Johnston came through with a two-out one-run home run. The home run was just the second hit of the game for the Hilltoppers, and it tied the score at 2-2.

The seesaw affair continued in the fourth inning with FIU reclaiming the lead. Freshman infielder Jimmy Bacon led off the inning with a single through the right side and sophomore infielder Dennis Diaz followed with a single of his own. After a flyout, Bacon reached home on a throwing error.

The Golden Panthers could not hold the lead though. Antone Towns led off the bottom half with a double and advanced to third on a flyout. Brent Miller singled through the right side for an RBI and then another single from Brown put runners on second and third. At that point, Matt Gunning hit an RBI single to give WKU a 4-3 lead.

The Hilltoppers added another two runs in the fifth inning. Towns belted an RBI single and later Miller hit an RBI double.

WKU finally broke the game open in the sixth inning, pushing the lead up to 11-3. The first run courtesy of a solo home run from Rafael Vallejo, and WKU went up 7-3. An RBI single from Kevin Bearden, and then an RBI groundout added two more runs. Brown earned an RBI on a single and then Gunning doubled to end the scoring.

FIU came back with two runs in the top of the seventh. Nanita started the rally with a double down the left field line and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Junior outfielder Fernando Alvarez singled him home. Bacon then hit an RBI single of his own, and the score was 11-5.

Grogan answered in the seventh with a two-run home run, his second of the game, putting WKU back up by eight runs, 13-5.

First team all-Sun Belt hurler Josh Banks of FIU had another rough outing against the Hilltoppers. Banks gave up six runs in four and two-thirds innings. On March 28, he gave up seven earned runs in six innings of work.

WKU pitcher Andy Baldwin gave up four earned runs in seven and two-thirds to earn the win.

The Golden Panthers next face Arkansas State at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Lafayette, La. The game will be broadcast on Radiate 88, FIU’s student radio station. The broadcast can be heard on 88.1 FM in Miami or on the Internet at http://wrgp.fiu.edu/sports.