Panthers Take Pitcher's Duel in Series Opener

Contact: Matt Hebert

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LAFAYETTE – The opening game of a three-game series between the Sun Belt Conference's top two pitching staffs lived up to its billing as FIU posted a 2-1 victory over Louisiana Friday evening at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field in a pitcher's duel between Mason McVay and Jordan Nicholson.

McVay and Nicholson each worked seven innings and combined to allow just seven hits.

The Cajuns (15-18, 5-8 Sun Belt) took the lead in the first inning on an RBI double from Dylan Butler. McVay buckled down and held the Cajuns to just one hit over his final six innings of work.

Nicholson kept the Panthers (20-13, 8-5 Sun Belt) scoreless through the first three innings and had them driving the ball in the ground all night long forcing 16 groundouts.

FIU used a two-out home run from Jabari Henry in the fourth inning and two-out RBI double by Nathan Burns in the fifth inning to pull ahead.

Cord Cockrell helped Nicholson erase a FIU leadoff walk in the eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts after a sacrifice bunt gave the Panthers a runner in scoring position. Cockrell then retired the side in order in the ninth inning to give the Cajuns a chance.

However, the FIU bullpen was equally effective as Eddy Pidermann and Michael Gomez combined for two innings of hitless relief which included stranding Cajuns on second and third base in the eighth inning.

After McVay walked Ryan Leonards to open the UL half of the eighth inning, Piedermann walked Butler on four pitches. A sacrifice bunt by Tyler Frederick moved runners to second and third base, giving the Cajuns the go-ahead run on second base.

Piedermann preserved the lead by striking out Compton and inducing a grounder from pinch hitter Tyler Girouard. In the ninth inning, Gomez retired the Cajuns in order to lock up the victory.

“We had our chance…we just need to be good when it matters,” head coach Tony Robichaux said. “We didn't get the job done in the eighth and that's the way it goes. We drew it up and had what we wanted. We just couldn't get the critical hit at the critical time.”

The two teams continue the series on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Cajuns will send left-hander Chris Griffitt (4-2, 3.23 ERA) to the mound and he'll be opposed by FIU right-hander Michael Ellis (1-2, 3.63 ERA). The game will be broadcast on MyKLAF (cable channel 13, DirecTV 62).

Nicholson fell to 3-4 on the season, despite turning in his team-leading sixth quality start by holding FIU to two runs over seven innings of work. The Panthers, who entered the night hitting a Sun Belt-best .296, were held to a 5-for-25 showing (.200) by Nicholson.

“It's a tough situation. Our job as a pitching staff is to give our team a chance to win and Jordan did that,” Robichaux said. “(Cord) Cockrell did a good job good job out of the bullpen getting some tough hitters out.

“We have two of the three phases of the game solved. We've got to get our hitters going, and the only way to do that is to keep pitching and playing defense.”

Louisiana took an early lead, taking advantage of a pair of FIU errors in the first inning.

Leonards reached on a throwing error by Mike Martinez on a grounder to third base and moved to third base on a failed pickoff attempt by McVay. The sequence of errors placed him within walking distance of home plate when Butler doubled into the left center field gap for the game's first run.

McVay worked around a leadoff walk and throwing error in the third inning, which gave UL two runners with no outs, to keep the FIU deficit at one run. Following a sacrifice bunt, he induced an infield pop up from Butler then on a grounder to first base beat Compton to the bag for the third out.

Henry rewarded his pitcher's efforts by evening the score for him in the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run off the foul pole in left field.

FIU used a pair of doubles to generate the decisive run in the fifth inning, taking a 2-1 lead. With two outs, Burns drove a ground-rule double to right center field to score Oscar Aguirre who doubled two at bats before him.

Nicholson and McVay retired the side in order in the sixth inning and the Panthers lead remained 2-1 as the contest turned over to the seventh inning.

BASES NOTED: The teams entered the weekend series leading the Sun Belt Conference with an identical 3.69 ERA...The Cajuns scored first for the 20^th time in 33 games when Dylan Butler's first inning double plated Ryan Leonards…The double marked Butler's 13^th extra base hit of the season, tying him with Chase Compton for the team lead…The 6-4-3 double play turned by the Cajuns in the second inning marked the third twin killing that the squad has turned this week…UL executed three sacrifice bunts – the last moving two runners into scoring position in the eighth inning –increasing the season total to 42…The Cajuns are 17 sacrifice bunts shy of the school record 59 set last season with 22 regular season games remaining…Cajuns pitching held the opposition to single digits in runs for the 32^nd time in 33 games and 17^th straight game since surrendering 11 runs to Southern Miss on Sunday, March 11…Third baseman Logan Preston fielded all four chances that came his way flawlessly, and remains perfect in the field at third base through 30 chances this season (7 putout, 23 assists)…Both of the Panthers' runs came with two outs…UL has surrendered 58 two-out RBI this season…Louisiana played a one-run game for the fifth time in the past six games, a streak which dates back to the April 3 game vs. Southeastern Louisiana…Each of the last four games have been decided by one run…Dating back to the SLU contest on April 3, UL pitching has worked 53 innings, limited opponents to 33 hits, 14 runs and a .184 batting average…FIU made its first appearance at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field since March 2008…The Cajuns visited Miami each of the previous three seasons (2009-11)…New UL women's basketball head coach Garry Brodhead threw out the ceremonial first pitch…Friday's game opened just the sixth series at “The Tigue” between the Cajuns and Panthers since FIU joined the Sun Belt in 1999… FIU increased its all-time series lead to 25-23 and trimmed the Cajuns advantage at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field to 9-7...UL needs a pair of wins to avoid dropping the season series to FIU for the fifth straight season...True freshman Jace Conrad played error-free for the 28^th consecutive game at second base, a streak which dates back to Feb. 25 vs. Towson…Conrad saw nine chances Friday night and picked up seven assists…Conrad has now fielded the past 115 chances he's encountered flawlessly…Dylan Butler picked up his 31^st RBI, moving him within nine RBI of becoming the first freshman to reach 40 RBI since Les Smith in 2009.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Panthers Take Pitcher's Duel in Series Opener

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