Sun Belt GAME 1 - FIU vs. Louisiana LIVE GAME BLOG

TROY, Alabama -- Welcome to the LIVE GAME BLOG  for Game 1 of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament between FIU and Louisiana.

As greatest baseball broadcaster of all-time Vin Scully would say: "It's a gorgeous day for baseball here in Troy. The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky, a cool 60 degrees, the birds are singing".....and whether your Panthers will be winning, we'll find out in about 3 hours from now.

Here at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, the dimensions are 340 feet down the left field line, 375 to the power alleys, 400 to dead center and just 310 feet to right field, but with a 30-foot wall, similar
to the Green Monster, except this Monster is Black with the scoreboard built into the wall.

Let's get to the LIVE BLOG, we'll run it through the comments section of this post.

Comments

[Joel]

Let's do this!!!! GO FIU!!!

[Pete Pelegrin]

The playing surface here is like FIU Stadium -- fieldturf, except here the entire field is artificial even the dirt on the infield. Only the pitcher's mound has real Alabama dirt on it.

[Pete]

FIU lineup: Arrojo (SS), Mollica (2b), Townsend (RF), Stropp (C), Jobe (1b), Martinez (DH), Alfonso (3b), Waddell (LF), Guy (CF).

Rembisz is the pitcher.

FIU is the home team for this game.

[Quijote]

FF, II, UU...FIU!!!

[Pete]

Goulas leads off with a double off the right field wall.

[Pete]

Fuselier with a bunt single and the Cajuns have runners on the corners with 0 out

[FIUJM]

Not good start...but we'll be fine.

[Quijote]

not a good start.

[Pete]

Got a feeling which ever team can play pepper with that short right field wall will have a good time in Troy.....Smith singles to left, Goulas scores 1-0 UL

[Roman]

oh boy...not the way we wanted to start this game with Scott on the hill

[Pete]

Rembisz throws a bunt into left field, another run scores 2-0 with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 0 outs

[Quijote]

Jesus three batters, three solid hits?! Turtle has to pull Scott before it gets really ugly.

[Quijote]

Wow and an error?! FIU has the jitters Turtle do something meng

[Roman]

looks like the bad news bears made their way to Troy, Ala. and they are wearing FIU uniforms

[Pete]

3-run HR...now 5-0

[Roman]

o O

[FIUJM]

Please someone wake them up!!! Good thing we can score some runs...we need Scott to settle down.

[TheChampionUnderdog]

jesus man. que paso? i just logged in. oy!

[PP]

HR was a fly ball to right field in most parks, but the Cajuns are peppering right field.

Jobe gets 1st out

[PP]

Arrojo gets grounder....2 outs

[Quijote]

Pathetic... way to show up team and Turtle! Might as well change your name to the Marlins

[Roman]

now we are rolling two outs on the ground...that is more like scott's pitching

[FIUJM]

I respect your passion Quijote, but it's only first inning. As for Marlins, it's torture watching them play.

[PP]

choppers on this infield will take some high hops....something to keep in mind....Rembisz K's final batter for 3rd out.

5-0 UL going to bottom of 1st

[PP]

lot of baseball left to be played quijote

[Quijote]

Sorry, I'm just really upset we come to the SBS tourney, should bring our A game, and couldn't have possibly started any worse. Now its an uphill battle for us from the get go.

[PP]

Jr. hit by pitch...runner on 1st for FIU

[Max]

Wow, tough start, hope the bats are ready.

[PP]

2nd base error.....FIU 2 runners on and 0 out and Tyler up

[FIUJM]

Let's go Tyler...

[PP]

5-1....TT single ate up the SS...runners on 1st and 2nd

[PP]

Jobe up with 2nd and 3rd and 1 out after Stropp grounds out

[Clawing Cancer]

FIU should be able to make up the deficit. The bats are there. Rembisz better settle down fast, though. If TT has to go to the 'pen now, it won't be good.

[PP]

Jobe single....5-2, runners on 1st and 3rd and 1 out....Martinez grounds into DP to end the inning....5-2 going to the 2nd

[FIUJM]

Would have been nice to get one more run...now we need Scott to have a quick inning. We can't rely on bullpen.

[PP]

infield single to lead off 2nd for UL

[PP]

strikeout of 1st batter Goulas, who doubled to lead off the game....Olasin, the infield single guy, steals 2nd

[PP]

another K, 2 outs and runner on 2nd

[PP]

bloop double scores run for UL....now 6-2 with 2 outs

[Quijote]

awful awful awful... damn you marlins, must be rubbing off on the panthers.

[PP]

Rem K's the side, but UL tacks on 1 run....6-2 going to the bot of the 2nd

[PP]

that bloop double by UL almost bounced over Lammar Guy's head in center....this turf must have springs underneath, because the balls are bouncing like racquetballs out there.

[PP]

Raiko flies out CF for 1st out....Waddell triples off the wall in RF

[PP]

guys grounds out to 3b....waddell has to hold....jr. lines out to LF.....6-2 going to the 3rd inning

[PP]

Rem K's Hawkins, the guy who hit 3-run HR off him in the 1st

[Roman]

FYI guys, PP just sent me a text message that he has lost the wireless at the Troy pressbox he is trying to get it back up and running.

FYI Score is now 8-2 in the top 5 after two unearned runs score on an error by the third baseman Raiko Alfonso

[FIUJM]

Thanks...i think whole website was having problem with blog. Not only Pete.

8-2?? Come on, we need better showing than this in first game of tournament.

[Joel]

What an abyssmal start... errors and no hitting! Only three hits in five innings?!?! We need to start lighting up their pitchers like a Christmas tree and FAST! We can't put ourselves in a hole this early into the tournament...

[Pete]

Back on-line...looks like all Herald blogs were down for a time.

1 out top of 6th, 8-2....Both pitchers have settled down some, not counting the 2-run error by FIU last inning.

Still got 12 outs to play with, but got to hold them here and start with the bats.

[PP]

2 outs in 6th with runner on 1st for UL....the last out was a deep fly to left that the wind knocked down.

Big hitter here in Hawkins, who hit 3-run HR in 1st.

Hawkins liner gets by Jobe at 1st base....runners on the corners with 2 out

[PP]

Fontenot flies out to end inning....going to bot of 6th....8-2 UL

[Joel]

Come on, Tyler, get us started...

[PP]

Tyler grounds out to 2b....Stropp K's....Jobe up with 2 out in 6th.

Looks like tourney nerves got to the Panthers early on.

Jobe hit by pitch with 2 outs...Martinez up

[PP]

Martinez grounds out to end inning.

8-2 going to the 7th and Andre Vazquez replaces Rembisz on the mound.

Rem threw 117 pitches.

Just looked it up 16 of 25 FIU players are playing in their 1st Sun Belt Tourney

[PP]

UL leads off with a racquetball triple over Guy in center.

Ball bounced on turf and over Guy's head.

Another triple makes it 9-2 UL.

[Joel]

Field of Nightmares... At this point we need a miracle to pull this off. We better be ready to go tomorrow against whoever we face. It's a young team, but they gotta be able to play on the big stage...

[Roman]

so looks like unless a BIG rally, looks like early baseball again tommorrow

[PP]

Mason McVay now in the game in relief of Vazquez.

Sac fly scores runner from 3rd...10-2 with 2 outs.

If this score holds up....we all will have breakfast with the Panthers and Florida Atlantic/Middle Tennessee loser at 9 a.m. (Troy time) (10 a.m. Miami time)....tommorrow in an elimination game.

[alt7787]

Why are these games so early......?

[PP]

Looking like a 9 a.m. start here 2moro and 10 a.m. back home in Miami.

Wind is howling here, blowing out to right field.

Hooters starting pitcher for their game against Middle Tennessee is sitting next to me here in the stands and he saw how the wind is howling and he goes "Uh-oh, I'm pitching next game".

[PP]

Games are early because there are 4 games they have to get in each day.

Sergio Bonilla of FIU student media says FIU has an 11-run rally in them here and says "think Fairleigh Dickinson".

[PP]

walk to raiko, waddell single and bermudez ground out makes it 10-3 now with 1 out and waddell at 2b

[Quijote]

awful.

pete your blog was down for a while.

[PP]

jr. flies out...waddell to 3rd with 2 outs and mollica up

[FIU Fanatic]

A ways to go.....hope we could've started this thing a lot better than it did....oh well...let's go FIU!

[Gooch7]

Tell me that the Boys came through in the last Two Inning? What happen to the energy they played with at the begining of the season?

RALLY CAPS!

[PP]

yes, quijote the entire herald blog system was down for like 2 innings.

mollica lines out to left....end of the 7th 10-3.

was told here that there is a 10-run rule after 7 innings in the tournament.

[PP]

fly ball to right, oh no, wait it just went over the short right field for a UL HR off new FIU pitcher Aaron Arboleya.

[PP]

Tyler leads off the 8th with an infield single. Stropp hits into a DP for 2 quick outs.

[c-UM]

Put a fork in this one... we need to come back strong the next 2 games.... We need mollica to get back in the zone again and stropp needs to produce as well

[PP]

going to bot of the 9th.....UL 11-3....Sergio says here comes the 9-run rally.

[TNGoldenPanther]

"It's over Johnny."

[TheChampionUnderdog]

ouch. very poor showing...

[Roman]

PP,

Tell Sergio to get off the crack

[PP]

final 11-3....game 2moro at 9 a.m. here and 10 a.m. in Miami....will be back on blog later today with thoughts on the game

[c-UM]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Max]

Epic Fail

[CrazyCane]

Turtle really had those boys ready to play. he is awesome.

[FIUPIKE]

Colossal meltdown on DAY ONE !!!

[FAUFan]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Fear the Turtle!

[OC Panther]

Bad things man.

[Clawing Cancer]

Oh, relax, people. Seriously. I know it's a bad loss, but considering how crappy this team was last season, part of me's just glad FIU's in the tournament. That stat Pelegrin mentioned about having most of the team being first-timers in the SBC tourney is rather telling of how far FIU's fallen in recent times.

I guess it's fair to say that nerves got these boys, but UL is a damn good team and always gives FIU problems. These kind of games happen. Fortunately, FIU will have a chance for redemption starting tomorrow.

Whatever happens, it's been a better season that the GP's have thrown up in some time. Looks like Turtle's got this baby moving in the right direction.

Now, personally, I think it'll be FAU we face tomorrow. Wouldn't that make for an interesting game?

[FIU Fanatic]

Clawing Cancer....great post....I agree totally with what you are saying.....We all want to see better and better results immediately...but we all need a dose of reality...and short term history...to see where we've been the last 3-5 years...and where we are now....The key is to improve every year, and we certainly did that compared to last season...didn't we?

[gpantera]

Due to the final score, I've thrown up in my mouth.

[Clawing Cancer]

Most definitely, Fanatic. I know, last season, I was giving TT and everyone else a hard time about the horror show that was FIU baseball, but they've made massive improvements and deserve to be commended. Improving the record by 10+ games in a season is impressive stuff in college baseball, and realistically, it would've been hard to ask for more than that.

I know I picked them for regional play, but honestly, I'm happy they've gotten as far as they have. Everything else from here on out is gravy for me. It'll be next season, with another TT recruiting class, where we'll really see what FIU's capable of under him. I think it'll also help that there's only two seniors on the squad in Mollica and Stropp. That'll mean a lot of players coming back. Hopefully, we don't lose too many to the draft or pro ball. I'm guessing Townsend's gone, but if TT can get him to stay and all the SP's come back, I don't see how we don't make a regional next season.

It'll be FIU-FAU tomorrow... da Hooters got mercy-ruled by Middle Tennessee. FIU's got another chance to do what they should've done last week: end FAU's season. Take advantage, boys. That's a very winnable game.

[panthernation]

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