Nick MacDonald pitched six shutout innings and Jose Garcia hit another home run as FIU defeated Florida A&M 7-2 in the opener of a two-game set Tuesday night at the FIU ballpark.
The Panthers improved to 4-3. The Rattlers dropped to 4-6.
MacDonald (1-0) allowed just four hits and struck out eight batters to record his first win of 2018. The sophomore right-hander had a stretch where he retired 14 of 16 FAMU batters.
Garcia continued his torrid stretch at the plate, hitting his third home run in as many games. The freshman catcher hit a two-run home run in the second inning to stake FIU to a 2-0 lead.