Trojans Fall to FIU 4-2

Friday, March 19

Miami, Fla.

6:00 pm

Troy University

Florida International

3/20/2010 3:00:00 AM | Baseball

MIAMI, Fla. – Missed opportunities continued to haunt the Troy University baseball team on Friday night as the Trojans dropped a 4-2 decision to homestanding FIU.

The Trojans fall to 7-9 on the season with the loss and are 1-3 in Sun Belt Conference play. FIU improved to 12-6 on the year with a victory in the Panthers' first league game. The teams will meet against on Saturday at FIU Stadium with the first pitch slated for 5 p.m.

Troy left 11 runners on base in the game, including one in the seventh when Ryan Ditthardt hit into an inning-ending double play, and two in the eighth, when Steven Felix and Daniel Peterson were both struck out by FIU reliever Eric Berkowitz with runners at second and third.

“Like we have had in games before, we had a lot of chances tonight,” Trojans head coach Bobby Pierce said. “Andrew Dickinson pitched a heck of a game and gave us a chance to win, but we just couldn't get the hit we needed.”

Dickinson (2-2) took the loss despite allowing just four runs, three earned, on seven hits while striking out a career-high eight Panthers. FIU starter Scott Rembisz (3-1) was up to the challenge, holding the Trojans to just two runs on fie hits through 6.1 innings. He walked three and struck out 10.

Berkowitz worked the final three frames for FIU to earn his first save of the season. He struck out three as the Trojans went down on strikes 13 times, the sixth time this year the team has hit double figures in strikeouts.

FIU wasted no time in getting on the board in the game, taking a 2-0 lead in the first when Jeremy Patton his a two-run homer to left. The Trojans answered that blast in the second when T.J. Rivera hit a two-run homer of his own to knot the score.

From there, it was a pitchers game.

The Golden Panthers regained the lead in the third when Garrett Wittles, who came into the game as the leading hitter in the Sun Belt, delivered a single to score Patton, who had reached on a one-out double.

Dickinson retired eight of the next nine FIU hitters before running into trouble in the sixth. FIU got back-to-back singles from Tim Jobe and Rudy Flores to open the inning, but Dickinson got a pair of strikeouts and a fly ball to get out of the jam with no damage.

Troy had scoring chances against Rembisz earlier in the game, but left a pair of runners on base in the fourth and fifth innings without getting a clutch hit that could have tied the game.

FIU added an insurance run in the seventh after loading the bases with no outs. Chase Whitley, who saw his 12-game hit streak come to an end, came on in relief of Dickinson and got back-to-back infield pops to Rivera before having a fastball go through the mitt of catcher Blake Martz for a passed ball, allowing Jabari Henry to score from third.

Whitley got a fly ball to end the inning on the next pitch.

“Things are just frustrating for us right now,” Pierce said. “The kids are working hard, they just can't seem to get the job done right now. It is going to take a big win in a game like tonight, or a big series win, to get us back on track.”

The Trojans will have to get back on track on Saturday against FIU senior left-hander Corey Polizzano (2-1, 6.27) who owns a 2-0 career record against the Trojans with a 2.61 ERA in three starts.

Sophomore right-hander Tyler Ray (2-2, 5.81) will take the mound for the Trojans on Saturday.