CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.fiusports.com) – It had been four years since FIU had beaten Miami at Mark Light Field and an eternity since it beat the nation’s No. 1 team. That all changed Wednesday night with a 6-3 win for the Golden Panthers (14-29) against top-ranked Miami (33-5) in front of 2,483 on the Hurricanes’ home field.

FIU led throughout the game and held Miami hitless for five-straight innings after starter Eric Horstmann gave up a pair of singles in the first. The Golden Panthers built a 4-0 lead before Miami bounced back for three runs in the seventh. UM carried the momentum into the eighth, loading the bases with two outs against reliever James Lajiness.

That prompted a call to the bullpen for Jorge Marban, who fell behind in the count, 3-1, to UM freshman catcher Yasmani Grandal. Grandal drove the next pitch deep to right, causing a stir from the crowd until Raimy Fuentes made a leaping catch against the wall to end the inning and the threat.

Kyle Bellamy came on for the Hurricanes in the ninth and hit Javier Sujo to start the inning. Chris Altieri pinch-ran for Sujo and advanced to third on a single from John Petika. Bellamy struck out Ty Main to bring up Corey Lozano, laid down a bunt that went straight to the pitcher. But with Altieri moving on the play, it was enough to score a run for a 5-3 lead. Ryan Mollica followed with a RBI single to put FIU up 6-3.

Marban worked through the top of the UM order in the ninth, allowing only slugger Yonder Alonso to reach base on a two-out walk.

Lajiness (3-0) gave up three runs on four hits with three walks and no strikeouts to earn the win. Marban threw 1.1 innings of relief for his second save of the season, thanks in large part to Fuentes’ leaping catch in the eighth inning. Horstmann gave up two hits with a walk and two strikeouts in three scoreless innings.

UM starter Anthony Nalepa (2-1) gave up one run on three hits in 4.0 innings for the loss.

Mollica extended his hitting streak to 26 games with the RBI single in the ninth inning and led FIU with two runs driven in. Tyler Townsend and John Petika both went 2-for-4 with a double.

Jemile Weeks led the Hurricanes with a home run and two RBI.

The Golden Panthers opened the scoring in the third. Ty Main doubled down the right field line and moved to third on Lozano’s sacrifice bunt. Mollica followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Main for a 1-0 lead.

FIU ran its lead to 4-0 with three runs in the top of the sixth. Fuentes drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on Townsend’s double before scoring on Steven Stropp’s sac fly foul ball down the right field line. UM reliever Alex Koronis spelled P.J. Fisher on the mound and hit Javier Sujo to put runners at the corners. A passed ball allowed both runners to advance, with Townsend sliding across home plate for a 3-0 lead. Petika doubled down the right field line on the next play to bring home Sujo for a four-run advantage.

The Hurricanes ended their offensive drought in the bottom of the seventh. Adan Severino led off with Miami’s first hit since the first inning, a triple to right-center off Lajiness. FIU’s crafty senior nearly got out of the situation with minimal damage, giving up a RBI grounder to Grandal for the second out of the inning. But Lajiness hit Tekotte for the second time in the game and gave up a two-run bomb to Weeks that brought the hosts within 4-3.

It was as close as UM would get, with Marban getting out of the jam in the eighth and FIU’s two runs in the ninth providing the final difference.

FIU returns to action with a three-game series against Sun Belt Conference leader Louisiana at Monroe, beginning Friday at University Park Stadium.

Notes: Main’s third-inning double was the first of his career...Lozano increased his school record sacrifice hit total to 31 with a sac bunt in the third inning...the Golden Panthers played error-free ball for the fourth consecutive game for the second time this season and just the third time since 1987.