Box score

MIAMI –  Florida International scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, capped by Mike Martinez’s grand slam, to defeat the University of South Alabama baseball team 9-6 Friday evening at FIU Baseball Stadium.

The Golden Panthers recorded four extra-base hits in the inning, in which they brought 10 batters to the plate. Jose Barroso led off the inning with a triple to center field, and scored on Jose Behar’s sacrifice fly. Jeremy Patton added an RBI single before Martinez delivered the big blow down the left field line for his 10th homer of the season and second of the game.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with two homers, six RBI and two runs scored to lead the Golden Panthers at the plate. Behar and Patton added two hits and one RBI each, and Patton also scored two runs.

FIU left-hander Phil Haig (6-3) earned the win in seven innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out four and issuing three walks.

Garrett Harris (5-3) suffered the loss in 6 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

Jordan Patterson went 2-for-5 with a run scored to lead South Alabama at the plate. Jake Overstreet and Brent Tanner had a hit and RBI apiece, and Jeff DeBlieux drove in one run.

Haig retired the first seven batters he faced, and held USA hitless until the top of the fifth when the Jags loaded the bases on consecutive singles by Nolan Earley and Patterson and walk by Brad Hook. DeBlieux then delivered a sacrifice fly to right field to score Earley and tie the game 1-1. South Alabama took a 2-1 lead later in the inning on a wild pitch by Haig.

FIU threatened in the bottom of the fifth when it loaded the bases off of Harris after consecutive singles by T.J. Shantz and Yoandy Barroso and walk by Pablo Bermudez, following a sacrifice bunt by Behar. Harris then induced a 1-6-3 inning-ending double play off the bat of Wittels.

USA extended its lead to 3-1 in the top of the sixth when Taylor White scored on Haig’s second wild pitch of the game after he singled then moved to third when Haig’s pickoff attempt sailed wide of Martinez.

But FIU (26-16, 11-8 SBC) answered in the bottom-half of the sixth when Martinez tied the game 3-3 with a two-run homer over the left field wall.

USA loaded the bases in the top of the eighth inning, but failed to push across a run. White and Overstreet drew consecutive walks, and Tanner followed with a single. But  FIU reliever Jose Velazquez worked out of the pinch with two line-drive outs and a put out at third to end the inning on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Hunt Griffith.

 The Jaguars loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth on consecutive walks by Hook and DeBlieux and a hit by pitch by Logan Kirkland. Overstreet then drove in Hook with a single up the middle. Tanner cut the FIU lead to 9-5 with an RBI groundout that scored DeBlieux. Kirkland scored the game’s final run on a wild pitch later in the inning.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

NOTES:  Overstreet moved to third on the career hits list (248) with a single in the ninth inning … Patterson extended his hitting streak to 11 games and recorded his 12 multiple-hit game of the season … With the loss, South Alabama fell to 26-24 all-time against FIU.