Miners Fall in Doubleheader at FIU Saturday
MIAMI, Florida – UTEP softball dropped both games of Saturday’s doubleheader against FIU at Felsberg Field, falling 10-3 in the opener and 10-2 in five innings in the series finale.
UTEP moved to 9-16 overall and 1-5 in Conference USA play, while FIU improved to 22-5 on the season and 4-2 in league action.
Overall Recap
FIU used timely hitting and big innings in both contests to secure the doubleheader sweep. The Panthers broke open the first game with a seven-run second inning, capitalizing on multiple RBI singles and a three-run home run to build an early cushion.
UTEP chipped away with a run in the fourth inning and a two-run homer from Paige Lassiter in the fifth, but FIU answered with additional runs in the later innings to secure the 10-3 victory.
In the nightcap, FIU again built momentum early with a two-run third inning before adding two more in the fourth to stretch the lead. The Miners responded in the fifth when Brantley Lavas drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Iliana Munoz followed with an RBI double to cut the deficit in half.
However, FIU responded with a six-run bottom of the fifth inning to end the game early by run rule, completing the 10-2 win and the series sweep.
Paige Lassiter led the Miners at the plate on the day, going 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI and one run scored across the doubleheader. Halle Hogan also produced offensively, finishing 3-for-6 with a double while recording the team’s only multi-hit performance in Game 1 with a 2-for-3 outing.
Game 1 – FIU 10, UTEP 3
FIU struck quickly in the second inning, plating seven runs on a series of RBI singles and a three-run home run to take a commanding early lead.
UTEP got on the board in the fourth inning when Halle Hogan delivered an RBI single that also moved into scoring position following a fielding error, bringing home Jayde Pagdilao.
The Miners continued to battle in the fifth as Paige Lassiter launched a two-run home run to right field, scoring Aaliyah Betancourt and trimming the deficit to four.
FIU added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings to seal the 10-3 victory.
The Panthers outhit the Miners 11-8 in the opener. Hogan led UTEP with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, while Lassiter drove in two runs with her home run.
Arianna Flores started in the circle for the Miners and was credited with the loss, moving to 0-3 on the season.
Game 2 FIU 10, UTEP 2 (5 innings)
FIU took the lead in the third inning with RBI singles before adding two more runs in the fourth to build a 4-0 advantage.
UTEP responded in the top of the fifth. Brantley Lavas lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Cece Marquez, and Iliana Munoz followed with an RBI double to right that plated Marissa Burchard, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
The Panthers answered in the bottom half of the inning, scoring six runs—including a solo home run and a two-run double—to secure the 10-2 run-rule victory.
FIU outhit UTEP 10-6 in the contest. Hits for the Miners came from Marissa Burchard, Brantley Lavas, Iliana Munoz, Halle Hogan, Paige Lassiter and Cece Marquez.
Tatyana Vega earned the start in the circle for UTEP and was charged with the loss, moving to 8-6 on the season. She recorded three strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work.
On Deck
UTEP will return home to host Liberty for a three-game series at Helen of Troy Field March 19–21. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
