MIAMI, Fla. – It was back-and-forth early at FIU Baseball Stadium Saturday afternoon, but Florida International reclaimed the lead in the third inning over the Wofford baseball team and would not relent it to win 6-3. The Terriers drop to 23-10 with the result as the Panthers improve to 19-16.
 
Camden Wicker (2-1) suffered the loss in a starting role for Wofford. He allowed five runs (four earned) over 6.0 innings on seven hits and three walks. The freshman struck out seven hitters. Sam Stratton pitched the final 2.0 innings, allowing a run on three hits with no walks and three punchouts.
 
Jackson Ritchey (1-1) procured the win in 2.0 relief innings for FIU. He allowed no runs on two hits and a walk. Zac Lampton (1) notched a save by hurling the final 3.0 innings, all scoreless, with a hit and a walk surrendered.
 
Marshall Toole, Brice Martinez and Adam Haber led the way offensively for the Terriers with two hits apiece. Toole pushed his on-base streak to 33 games with Martinez stretching his hit streak to 19. Martinez also added an RBI, as did Dixon Black and Daniel Jackson. Martinez owned Wofford's lone extra-base hit, a triple. It is the 20^th three-bagger of the season for Wofford, tops in the nation and now two shy of matching Wofford's single-season record.
 
Though hitless, Black reached twice with a pair of walks. Lucas Manning and Jack Renwick both also reached base twice with each posting one hit and one walk. Haber added a steal in the contest, the lone swipe for the Terriers.  
 
FIU struck first in the bottom of the second with an RBI single to claim an early 1-0 lead. But Wofford responded with three runs in the top of the third to claim the lead itself. Three-straight singles, including back-to-back bunt singles by Jack Renwick and Marshall Toole, loaded the bases for Dixon Black. He lifted a sacrifice fly to tie the contest. A walk reloaded the bags for a Brice Martinez RBI infield single to claim the lead. Daniel Jackson added to it with his own RBI single, giving the Terriers a 3-1 edge.
 
However, the Panthers pulled even in the bottom of the third by plating two runs. FIU had a chance to regain the lead in the inning, but Andrew Mannelly fired a dart in from right field to the cut-off man Renwick, who completed the relay home to cut down the runner and limit the damage. The score was 3-3 after three.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, FIU pulled back in front with a two-run home run. The score stood at 5-3.
 
After a couple of scoreless innings, the Panthers tacked on another run with an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh. Their lead was 6-3.
 
That is where it would stand, as the Terriers were unable to respond. Wofford went scoreless over the final six innings, but not without chances to push a run across. The bases were loaded with two outs in the fourth, but a pop out ended that threat. The bases were juiced with two outs again in the sixth, but again they were all left stranded with a strikeout. Wofford's last opportunity was in the seventh with a lead-off triple. Two batters later, there were runners on the corners with an out, but an untimely double play neutralized the chance.
 
With the result, FIU has evened the series and forced game three tomorrow into a rubber match. First pitch for the finale is slated for 12:00 p.m.