MIAMI, Fla. — Brock Hartson hurled his second complete game of the season working 9.0 innings en route to a 5-3 series opening victory over FIU Friday night at FIU Baseball Stadium.
Hartson improves to 2-2 on the year after scattering eight hits and allowing three runs (two earned) with two walks and one strikeout.
FIU starter Cody Crouse was charged with the loss in 5.1 innings of work. The right-hander gave up all five UTSA runs on four hits while walking three and striking out two batters.
Both starting pitchers dueled through the first five innings before UTSA exploded with a four-run sixth inning.
Kevin Markham, who led off the inning and reached on an error, scored alongside Jesse Baker on the right fielder’s sixth home run of the season.
Three batters later, Horacio Correa III came home on C.J. Pickering’s RBI double. Pickering scored the final run of the inning on a double steal.
FIU (13-17, 5-5 C-USA) scored first in the bottom third as its lead was taken back in the top fifth when Geonte Jackson made his way around the bases on single, stolen base and finally scored on a single up the middle.
The Panthers added one run in the eighth to make it 5-2 and threatened in the bottom ninth after scoring another run and placing runners on the corners.
Both teams will return to FIU Baseball Stadium for Game 2 of the series, which will be televised on American Sports Network. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m. CT.