MIAMI, Fla. (www.fiusports.com) - FIU ended its mid-week hitting funk and James Lajiness provided a career-long four-plus innings of relief in leading the Golden Panthers to a 13-6 win against Maine Wednesday night at University Park Stadium. The win closed out an 11-game homestand for the Golden Panthers and upped their record to 5-6, while Maine lost its fifth straight to drop to 4-5.

Lajiness (1-0) came on in the second inning for starter Kyle Preshong and limited the Black Bears to three runs on seven hits with two walks and a strikeout. Jorge Marban added an inning of scoreless relief and Daniel DeSimone gave up four hits and no runs over the last three innings to earn his second save of the season.

Maine starter Joel Thorney (0-1) was charged with the loss, giving up 11 runs, eight earned, on 11 hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work

FIU’s offense had been stymied in its last two mid-week games, collecting only five hits in a pair of losses to Florida Gulf Coast last Wednesday and Boston College on Monday. That number more than tripled against Maine.

Seven different Golden Panthers had at least two hits in the 17-hit assault. Jorge Castillo and Kevin Mirabal both went 3-for-4, with Castillo doubling and homering with two RBI. Tyler Townsend equaled his home run total from his freshman season with his fifth of the season in the first inning. Townsend led FIU with three RBI and raised his team-leading season RBI total to 20 in only 11 games.

All nine batters in Maine’s starting lineup hit safely, led by three-hit performances from Joey Martin and Jarrett Lukas.

Maine started a two-sided offensive onslaught with a three-run first inning against FIU starter Kyle Preshong. Billy Cather drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on Tony Patane’s double. Preshong nearly worked his way out of the jam, recording two outs on his next two pitches. But Martin’s grounder snuck through the right side of the infield for a two-run single and Kevin McAvoy followed with a RBI double to give the Black Bears a 3-0 lead.

The Golden Panthers answered quickly with a pair of two-out, two-run home runs from Townsend and Castillo to go ahead 4-3 after one inning.

Lajiness came on to start the second for FIU and gave up a leadoff home run to Kevin Jackson that knotted the game at 4-4.

FIU started the second with a pair of singles from Mirabal and Junior Arrojo. The Golden Panthers retook the lead when Thorney’s pickoff attempt at first went into foul territory. Mirabal scored all the way from second for a 5-4 advantage.

Maine once again tied the game in the top of the third. Curt Smith led off the inning with a triple to center and scored on Myckie Lugbauer’s grounder to second.

FIU scored eight unanswered in the third and fifth innings to take a 13-5 lead and put the game away. John Petika reached on an error to start the inning and moved to third on Castillo’s double. Javier Sujo followed with an RBI single. Thorney’s wild pitch allowed Castillo to score and Mirabal grounded out to second to drive in Sujo for the 8-5 lead.

Petika served as the catalyst for a five-run FIU fifth, leading off the inning with his first triple of the season. Sujo drove him in with his second single of the game and Mirabal doubled down the left field line to move both runners into scoring position.  Lammar Guy followed Junior Arrojo’s walk with a sacrifice fly to left that brought in Sujo for a 10-5 advantage. Three-straight RBI hits from Ryan Mollica, Raimy Fuentes and Townsend completed the scoring for FIU.

Maine started the sixth with two-straight hits off Lajiness before he was spelled by Marban. Danny Menendez loaded the bases with an infield single, setting up Lukas’ RBI single to left for a 13-6 lead. It was all Maine would get.

Marban struck out Cather and Patane and got out of the inning with Smith’s liner to Arrojo, ending the scoring for the game.

FIU will have little rest before it heads out for its first road trip and Sun Belt Conference tilts of the season. The team departs for Troy at 7 a.m. Thursday for a three-game series with the Trojans and completes the five-game road swing with a pair of games at Jacksonville next Tuesday and Wednesday.