- Box Score
2
New Mexico StateNMSU18-18, 6-6 CUSA
9
WinnerFIU PanthersFIU22-13, 6-5 CUSA
New Mexico StateNMSU
18-18, 6-6 CUSA
2
Final
9
FIU PanthersFIU
22-13, 6-5 CUSA
Winner
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico State NMSU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| FIU Panthers FIU | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | X | 9 | 8 | 0 |
W: Villarreal, Juan (6-1) L: F. Barreda (0-2)
Game Recap: Baseball | | Jonathan Mayer
Frett has hit a home run in his past four games
MIAMI – The FIU baseball team powered past New Mexico State, 9–2, on Sunday afternoon to claim a Conference USA (CUSA) series victory at FIU Baseball Stadium.
The Panthers improved to 22–13 overall and 6–5 in CUSA play, notching their third conference series win of the season and second at home in the 2025 campaign.
After building a 2–0 lead through the second and third innings, FIU exploded for seven runs between the fifth and seventh frames, fueled by three home runs to take the rubber match.
In the second inning, Austin Dearing and Javier Crespo reached on back-to-back walks before Andrew Ildefonso delivered a sacrifice fly to left-center to open the scoring. Dearing later came around on an infield RBI groundout to make it 2–0 in the third.
FIU's offense ignited in the fifth. Crespo dropped a two-run double into right-center, followed by an RBI double down the left-field line from Ildefonso to push the lead to 5–0.
The Aggies (18–18, 6–6 CUSA) got on the board in the sixth, but FIU answered quickly. Kishon Frett smashed his 14th home run of the season to deep left field, marking his fourth straight game with a homer and fifth in his last four contests.
Ildefonso added to the damage with his fourth homer of the year—a two-run shot in the seventh—before freshman catcher Marc Hersh blasted his first career home run later in the frame.
New Mexico State tacked on a solo homer in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Panthers' dominant showing.
On the mound, Juan Villarreal made his third start of the season and impressed with 4.2 scoreless innings, tying a career high with seven strikeouts. Jaydon Bishop followed in relief before Kevin Martin provided three solid innings, allowing one run with two strikeouts to earn his third win of the year. Bryce Turner closed the door with a clean ninth.
At the plate, FIU recorded eight hits, led by Ildefonso's two-hit, four-RBI performance—his eighth multi-hit game of the season. Dearing reached base three times, while Brylan West walked twice. Cole Cleveland, Crespo, Frett, Hersh, and Alex Ulloa each contributed a hit in the victory.
UP NEXT
FIU travels to Fort Myers, Fla. to take on the FGCU Eagles on Tuesday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m from Swanson Stadium.
BAPTIST HEALTH
Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUBaseball on Facebook and @FIUBaseball on Twitter and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
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