Strong pitching helps FIU baseball eliminate ECU, advance in Coral Gables Regional


FIU pitcher Chris Mourelle pitches 7.1 scoreless innings to help Panthers advance in Coral Gables Regional.

FIU pitcher Chris Mourelle pitches 7.1 scoreless innings to help Panthers advance in Coral Gables Regional.

By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

For most of the afternoon, the elimination game between the FIU baseball and the East Carolina Pirates in the Coral Gables Regional felt like a staring contest.

Both starting pitchers – FIU’s Chris Mourelle and ECU’s Reid Love – were exchanging scoreless frame after scoreless frame as the game moved into the later innings. The only question was who would blink first.

Thankfully for the Panthers, it was the Pirates who blinked and FIU came away with a 2-0 win to keep their season alive after losing to Miami the night before.

“When you get in the loser’s bracket, it’s all about battling inning after inning,” FIU Head Coach Turtle Thomas said. “It was a really good baseball game, no doubt. There were two very good pitchers going head to head.”

After seven scoreless innings from Love, the Panthers were able to chase him from the game in the bottom of the eighth after left fielder Brian Portelli successfully executed a hit and run to put runners on first and third base with only one out.

ECU pulled the plug on Love and went to the bullpen to try and get out of the jam, but FIU third baseman Josh Anderson hit a line drive into left field off freshman reliever Joe Ingle to drive in Edwin Rios from third base, giving the Panthers the lead.

Two batters later, designated hitter Austin Rodriguez provided FIU some cushion with an RBI single of his own to put FIU ahead 2-0.

FIU closer Danny Dopico, who entered the game in the eighth inning in relief of Mourelle, got the final three outs of the game in the top of the ninth to give the Panthers the win. Dopico struck out four of the six batters he faced to shut the door on ECU’s season.

Mourelle, who ended up with no decision, pitched a gem for the Panthers – striking out three Pirate batters and allowing no runs in 7.1 innings pitched.

“He was a surgeon today,” Thomas said of Mourelle’s outing. “He stayed after it and kept throwing strikes. He did a great job for us.”

The Panthers will play again Sunday, May 31, at 1 p.m. at Alex Rodriguez Park against the losing team from tonight’s game between the University of Miami and Columbia.

If the Panthers win on Sunday afternoon, they will play again Sunday night at 7 p.m. against the winner of the UM/Columbia game.

UPDATE: UM defeated Columbia 8-3 on Saturday night, which means FIU will play Columbia on Sunday at 1 p.m. in an elimination game… Beginning at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, the first 500 students with a valid FIU ONE Card to arrive at Alex Rodriguez Park will receive a free ticket to tomorrow’s game vs. Columbia.

For ticket information log onto www.hurricanesports.com, call 305-284-2263 or email canestix@miami.edu.