MIAMI - Drew
Granier struck
out 11 batters and limited the top hitting team in the Sun Belt
Conference to
six hits, but the ULM bats were held in check by R.J. Fondon and FIU
took the
series opener 4-1 from the Warhawks Friday evening at University Park.
Boomer Blanchard
started the
game off on a high note for the Warhawks as he hammered his first home
run of
the season in the top of the first - it snapped a streak of 44 games and
187
at-bats without a homer for Blanchard.
Garrett Wittels
gave the
Golden Panthers (24-17, 11-8 Sun Belt) all the runs they would need with
one
historic swing of the bat in the home half of the first inning.
Following a
leadoff single by Pablo Bermudez and a hit batter, Wittels homered to
left
field to extend his hit streak out to 36 games to set the FIU school
record.
Granier (3-5)
finished one
strikeout shy of his career-high which he set at Middle Tennessee during
the
opening weekend of Sun Belt play. He walked just one batter and worked
the
first complete game of his career.
Fondon (3-2)
allowed three hits
in the first inning, but settled down and limited the Warhawks to four
hits
over the next six innings before handing the ball off to the bullpen. He
struck
out four and walked win to pick up the win.
Junior Arrojo
extended the FIU
lead out to the final 4-1 margin with a perfectly executed
suicide-squeeze bunt to score Tim
Jobe in the fourth inning.
Nick Wade, Judd
Edwards and
Jarrett Hammond all had two hits for the Warhawks (15-26, 5-14) as they
out-hit
FIU 9-6 on the night. The Golden Panthers entered the game leading the
Sun Belt
batting .337 on the season. Bermudez and Yoandy Barroso had two hits for
FIU.
ULM had the tying
run at the
plate in the top of the ninth inning after a pair of two-out singles by
Hammond
and Josh Chappell. Eric Berkowitz, who entered the game in the eighth
inning, was able
to secure the final out for his sixth save of the season.
The Warhawks and
Golden
Panthers continue their three-game series Saturday at 5 p.m. The game
will be
broadcast live on the Warhawk Radio Network with local coverage on 540
AM and
worldwide coverage online at ulmwarhawks.com. Fans can also follow the
action
for free with live stats at ulmwarhawks.com.
