FIU drops first game of Regional play; next game at noon Sat., June 5

FIU (36-24) could not stop a hot Texas A&M (41-19-1) team, dropping the first game of the Coral Gables Regional to the Aggies, 17-3, on Friday afternoon at Alex Rodriguez Park.

Jabari Henry hit his 12th home run of the season against the Aggies. Photo courtesy of Samuel Lewis.

“We have to break through that invisible pressure barrier that goes into another round that you haven’t been to before,” said head coach Turtle Thomas. “The only positive thing about today is [that Garrett Wittels got] a base hit today. That was honestly about the only positive thing that happened for [our team] today.”

The Panthers will now play the loser of the Miami vs. Dartmouth game at noon on Saturday, June 5, and try to come out of the losers’ bracket just like they did in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament en route to their second SBC title.

“We’re at the same spot we were a week ago,” added Thomas. “We got beat by South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in the opening game and did not play a good ballgame. Things weren’t looking too positive. We had a good pitching performance by Scott Rembisz in the next game and guys start hitting and we took off from there. We fully expect to do the same thing. This team will be ready to play tomorrow. I guarantee it.”

With a leadoff double in the top of the sixth inning, FIU infielder Garrett Wittels kept his hitting streak alive against Texas A&M’s Barrett Loux. He would then come around to score on a wild pitch to make it a 10-2 Aggies lead.

“I looked down at Coach Thomas and he gave me the green light,” said Wittels of his hit on a 3-0 count. “We were down 8-1 at the time and if it was out of the zone I wasn’t going to swing, but it was a good pitch to hit, a fastball away, and I was able to hit it on the barrel.”

Wittels is now three shy of Robin Ventura’s all-time Division I record of hitting safely in 58 consecutive games in 1987.

FIU starter R.J. Fondon went two innings, giving up four runs in the loss. Loux for A&M went eight innings, giving up three runs. Jorge Marban was a bright spot for the FIU pitching staff, tossing two-thirds of an inning, striking out both batters he faced.

Free tailgate if you wear your FIU gear

The tailgate for Saturday’s game will begin at 10:30 a.m. in lot number 44 of the UM Metrorail station, located on the NE corner of Ponce de Leon Blvd. and Alhambra.

Entry to the tailgate is complimentary to all fans wearing FIU gear! Please wear your white FIU gear and enjoy food and drinks courtesy of FIU Athletics.

Come support our baseball team and Garrett Wittels as he attempts to extend his hitting streak to 56 games.

Tickets for Saturday’s game are available for purchase by visiting www.fiusports.com.

Check out highlights from the FIU vs. Texas A&M game: