Panthers fall in Sun Belt championship game


Rudy Flores (pictured here), Jeremy Patton and R.J. Fondon made the All-Sun Belt Tournament team. Photo courtesy Jeremy Stevens/ULM Athletics.

UALR pushed across the go-ahead run in the sixth inning to defeat FIU 7-6 in the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship at Warhawk Field in Monroe, Louisiana, on May 29.

Hector Acosta stole third base in the sixth inning and kicked the ball out of third baseman Jeremy Patton’s glove to lead the Trojans to the win. Acosta scampered home when the ball rolled away from Patton to give UALR (24-32) a lead it would not relinquish.

FIU (40-18-1) now awaits for 12:30 p.m. on Monday to learn where it will play in the NCAA Regionals. The NCAA Selection Show can be seen on ESPN.

Patton led the Panthers going 3 for 4 with a two-run home run. Rudy Flores was 2 for 4 with a two-run home run. Jose Behar also was 2 for 4.

After the Trojans picked up a run on an infield single in the top half of the first, the Panthers answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 2-1 lead. Flores took UALR starter Travis Henke over the fence in left for his eighth home run of the season. Flores picked up two RBI on the long ball and tied the Sun Belt record for most RBI (13) in a tournament. He shares the record with Ryan Ditthardt of Troy and Ryan Church of FAU who each set the record in 2010.

A two-run home run from Casey McCollum and a three-run shot from Myles Parma gave the lead back to UALR in the top of the second, 6-2.

In the bottom of the third, the 2010 SBC Tournament MVP Patton cut the UALR lead to 6-4 with a two-run home run to right, his seventh of the season. After a Flores single and a Mike Martinez hit by pitch, Behar smacked a single to right and drove home Flores for FIU’s fifth run of the game.

Martinez tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the fifth with a double to the gap in right to score Patton from third. Patton reached on a lead-off double and moved to third on a Flores fly out to right.

The Trojans took the lead for good in the top of the sixth when Acosta scored on a wild play where he was caught stealing at third base but knocked the ball and the glove off of Patton’s hand and scored when the ball got away from the FIU defender. FIU right-hander Kyle Fitzpatrick (7-2) was charged with the decisive unearned run. Fitzpatrick pitched four innings, allowed two hits and struck out six batters.

Flores, Patton and left-hander R.J. Fondon all made the All-Sun Belt Tournament team. Flores was 8 for 18 with two home runs and 13 RBI. Patton was 10 for 16 with a home run and six RBI. Fondon pitched seven shutout innings and picked up the win against South Alabama.

— Courtesy of FIUSports.com


 

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