MIAMI -- FIU left-hander R.J. Fondon tossed a complete game, and the Golden Panthers scored seven unanswered runs in a 7-1 win over visiting New Orleans on Friday evening.
Fondon (2-2) allowed just six hits, struck out seven and surrendered an unearned run as the Golden Panthers (20-14, 7-6 Sun Belt Conference) took the series opener.
Pablo Bermudez went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Jabari Henry hit a two-run home run. The Golden Panthers tallied 13 hits overall, and the top three hitters in the FIU order combined for seven hits, four RBIs and three runs scored.
Kevin Berry (2-1) took the loss for UNO (10-23, 2-14). The redshirt freshman gave up 11 hits and six runs in six innings, though the right-hander did record five strikeouts.
Jerad Comarda and
Nolan Church each went 2-for-4, and Comarda scored UNO's only run.
Berry kept the Privateers in it early, hurling three scoreless innings to start the game. UNO grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth after a two-out error allowed Comarda to score.
But FIU answered in the bottom of the frame on a two-run home run from Henry. The Golden Panthers later scored a run in the fifth and three in the sixth to grab a 6-1 advantage.
Fondon, meanwhile, cruised after the fourth. The sophomore, who picked up his first complete-game win, retired nine straight at one point and allowed only four hits the rest of the way.
The two teams will continue the series with an 11 a.m. (CT) doubleheader on Saturday. The twinbill was scheduled due to expected inclement weather later this weekend in south Florida.
