The FGCU men’s golf team posted another strong performance in the final round of Stetson’s Legacy Intercollegiate at The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes in Longwood, Florida on Tuesday. The Eagles completed the tournament tied for first before falling in a one-hole playoff to Bethune-Cookman.
FGCU shot a final-round 296 – the second-best score of the day – to overcome a three-shot deficit entering the closing 18. Bethune-Cookman recorded a 299 final-round total, and the two Florida schools entered the one-hole playoff tied with a three-round 876 total (+12) – seven shots better than any other institution in the nine-team event.
The Eagles had the option of sharing the title with Bethune-Cookman after 54 holes but wanting to give his team the experience of a playoff and match-play feel for potential upcoming postseason events, FGCU head coach Eric Booker opted for the playoff.
All five members of FGCU and Bethune-Cookman competed, but the Wildcats posted better scores than four of Eagles’ players to give them the hardware.
Junior Andrew Potter and freshman Cole Castro both finished in the top five overall to place the Eagles as Potter tied for third – three strokes out of first – with a 217 (+1) three-round total following a final-round 76 and Castro tied for fifth, just one shot back with a 218 (+2) after a closing 73 – the best among FGCU’s players on Tuesday.
“I certainly wish we would have won the playoff, but it was exciting to watch the guys go through that, and hopefully they’re able to use it as a learning experience,” commented Booker, who helped guide the Eagles to a spring-opening win two weeks ago. “I’m pleased with the progress the guys have made and the direction that we’re heading. We’ve played two solid tournaments in a row and feel optimistic about the rest of the season.”
In addition to Potter and Castro, sophomore Doug Smith tied for 14th after a closing 74 for a 222 (+6) total, while redshirt senior Michael Keymont shot a final-round 75 and tied for 19th with a 223 score.
Redshirt senior Grant Renegar rounded out FGCU scoring with a 74 on Tuesday to tie for 23rd at 224. Renegar tied for the second-most pars over the three rounds with 39 (leader: 40), while Castro played the par-5s better than everyone save for two at -5 for the week. Keymont (38) and Smith (38) were right behind Renegar in total pars, while Castro and Potter both rolled in 11 birdies – one behind the leaders in that category.
Legacy Intercollegiate Competing Teams (Golfstat Ranking)
T-1) #189 Bethune-Cookman: 289-288-299: 876 (+12)
T-1) #199 FGCU: 293-287-296: 876 (+12)
3) N/A Keiser (NAIA): 294-297-292: 883 (+19)
4) #185 FAU: 293-296-298: 887 (+23)
5) #209 Morehead State: 295-288-306: 889 (+25)
6) #254 Stetson: 292-299-301: 892 (+28)
7) #230 IUPUI: 293-300-304: 897 (+33)
8) #226 Navy: 291-296-311: 898 (+34)
9) N/A Embry-Riddle (NCAA DII): 305-288-309: 902 (+38)
The Eagles return to action when they head across Alligator Alley to compete in the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday, Mar. 5 and 6.
About Me
FGCU WBB vs Stetson Recap
The FGCU women's basketball team (27-4, 13-1 A-SUN) wrapped up their final game of the season with a 74-60 win over Stetson (17-13, 8-6 A-SUN). With the win, FGCU is not only 23-4 over Stetson, but are now A-SUN regular season champions for the seventh time this season as they go into the postseason.
Leading the charge offensively was senior Rose Julien. Julien finished with a game-high 25 points (9-14 FG, 5-8 3FG, 2-4 FT), three rebounds and two assists.
After returning from an ankle injury, senior Erica Nelson finished with two points, one rebound, five assists and one block.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had 10 points (3-3 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and two steals.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly had 15 points (6-11 FG, 3-9 FT), eight rebounds (two offensive, six defensive), one assist, two blocks and three steals. With her eight boards, Adderly now has 519 career rebounds and remains sixth all-time. In addition, Adderly's two offensive boards put her at 216 career offensive rebounds and remains fourth all-time. Adderly is 21 away from passing Robyn Swain (236) for third all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan finished with three points and one assist. With her three points, Grandijan now has 1,190 career points. In addition, Grandijan now has 288 career 3-pointers made and remains seven away from passing Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time.
Off the Eagles bench, redshirt senior China Dow finished with 14 points (5-7 FG, 2-4 3FG, 2-6 FT), seven rebounds and two assists.
Redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had five points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Redshirt senior Jessica Cattani contributed with one rebound.
For the Hatters, junior McKenna Beach led the team with 18 points, three assists and two steals.
Freshman Michelle Pruitt finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Senior Brittany Chambers had nine points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Freshman Shania Meertens had eight points, five rebounds, two assists and one block.
Freshman Sydney Wagner contributed with one rebound, two assists and one steal.
Off the Hatters bench, sophomore Jordan Tully had 10 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block.
Freshman Megan Vincent had two points, three rebounds and one block.
Up next, the Eagles, who are the No. 1 seed, begin the A-SUN Conference Tournament as they face No. 8 seed NJIT in the quarterfinals. The winner will face the winner between No. 4 seed Lipscomb and No. 5 USC Upstate.
Leading the charge offensively was senior Rose Julien. Julien finished with a game-high 25 points (9-14 FG, 5-8 3FG, 2-4 FT), three rebounds and two assists.
After returning from an ankle injury, senior Erica Nelson finished with two points, one rebound, five assists and one block.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had 10 points (3-3 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and two steals.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly had 15 points (6-11 FG, 3-9 FT), eight rebounds (two offensive, six defensive), one assist, two blocks and three steals. With her eight boards, Adderly now has 519 career rebounds and remains sixth all-time. In addition, Adderly's two offensive boards put her at 216 career offensive rebounds and remains fourth all-time. Adderly is 21 away from passing Robyn Swain (236) for third all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan finished with three points and one assist. With her three points, Grandijan now has 1,190 career points. In addition, Grandijan now has 288 career 3-pointers made and remains seven away from passing Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time.
Off the Eagles bench, redshirt senior China Dow finished with 14 points (5-7 FG, 2-4 3FG, 2-6 FT), seven rebounds and two assists.
Redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had five points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Redshirt senior Jessica Cattani contributed with one rebound.
For the Hatters, junior McKenna Beach led the team with 18 points, three assists and two steals.
Freshman Michelle Pruitt finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Senior Brittany Chambers had nine points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Freshman Shania Meertens had eight points, five rebounds, two assists and one block.
Freshman Sydney Wagner contributed with one rebound, two assists and one steal.
Off the Hatters bench, sophomore Jordan Tully had 10 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block.
Freshman Megan Vincent had two points, three rebounds and one block.
Up next, the Eagles, who are the No. 1 seed, begin the A-SUN Conference Tournament as they face No. 8 seed NJIT in the quarterfinals. The winner will face the winner between No. 4 seed Lipscomb and No. 5 USC Upstate.
FGCU Softball Invitational Full Recap
The FGCU softball team (13-0) remained unbeaten as they defeated U-Conn (8-3 Gm 1, 2-1 (8) Gm 5), Stony Brook (2-1), Wright State (6-0) and Southern Illinois (1-0) in the FGCU Four Points by Shearton Invitational.
Game One:
Head coach Dave Deiros sent junior Riley Randolph (4-0, 1.14 ERA) to the mound to pitch for FGCU while head coach Jen McIntyre attempted to counter by sending sophomore Katie Koshes (1-2, 4.38 ERA) to pitch for U-Conn.
Randolph was off to a shaky start at the top of the first as she gave up a lead-off home run to redshirt freshman Olivia Sappington. Randolph was able to get one strike out afterwards. Randolph would then strikeout two more batters at the top of the second inning.
At the bottom of the second, the Eagles struck back at the Huskies. Junior Brooke Clemens began with a lead-off single to center and advanced to second on a fielding error. After senior Ashley Swiderski drew a walk and senior Brittany McGuire was hit by a pitch to load the bases, senior Erica Ward had no problem bringing the first two runs for the Eagles as she hit a base-loaded two run single down the middle, driving in Clemens and Swiderski.
McIntyre would pull Koshes and send senior Chelsea Eckert (1-0, 1.79 ERA) in relief. Eckert began with a walk to freshman Farley Callaghan to load the bases once again for the Eagles for senior Bri Innamorato. The Mullica Hill, New Jersey native drove in McGuire for the Eagles' third run on a sacrifice fly. The onslaught did not end for the Eagles however. After senior Kelsey Huff was walked to once again load the bases, junior Racquel Fournet drove in Callaghan and Huff on a bases-loaded two-run single before Clemens flied out to end the inning.
At the bottom of the third, Swiderski would begin the onslaught with a lead-off solo home run for her third of the season to give the Eagles a 6-1 lead, but the Huskies would attempt to counter at the top of the fifth as sophomore Devon Casazza drove in the second run on an RBI single.
Randolph threw six innings while giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out seven batters.
Koshes was credited with the loss for U-Conn after throwing one inning and giving up four runs on two hits while one batter and striking out one.
Fournet was the only Eagle with more than one hit as she went 2-for-4 in game one with four RBI while Ward went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Swiderski was 1-for-1 with one RBI, two walks and two runs scored.
Game Two:
Going to game two, the Eagles took on the Seawolves. Deiros sent sophomore Morgan White (1-0, 0.29 ERA) to pitch for the Eagles while head coach Megan Bryant sent sophomore Taylor Pechin (0-1, 1.17 ERA) to counter for the Seawolves.
The Eagles would strike the first run at the bottom of the second. After a McGuire single, senior Lulu Newmark moved McGuire to second on a ground out. After freshman Haley Morrell struck out, sophomore Kate Kelly would reach first on an error while McGuire advanced to third. Kelly would then steal second and after a throwing error from the catcher, McGuire scored the first run before Huff flew out to end the inning.
The Seawolves would then score their first run of the game at the top of the fourth. After senior Ilena Torres led things off with a lead-off single, sophomore Melissa Rahrich would advance Torres to second on a ground out before junior Irene Rivera drove in Torres on an RBI single. The Seawolves almost took the lead in the game after a double from sophomore Riley Craig, but thanks to solid teamwork from Huff, Morrell and Newmark, the Seawolves were unable to take the lead.
At the top of the sixth, with two outs, freshman Marissa Mesiemore (5-0, 0.51 ERA), who took over for White with twos out was able to get Rivera to ground into a fielder's choice for the third out.
At the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles managed to regain the lead. After Clemens struck out and Swiderski fouled out to the catcher, McGuire would reach first on an infield single. Freshman Ahnie Jumper would pinch run for McGuire before advancing to second after a single from Newmark, bringing up junior Bri Bennett to pinch hit for Morrell. On a 1-0 count, the Lake Sumter College transfer would bring Jumper in for the Eagles second run of the game before Ward grounded out to end the inning.
"My job was to get the ball on the ground and get a run in," said Bennett. "We had a good job from Ahnie Jumper that really helped us out with the RBI."
Mesiemore remained in the game for the seventh, but started to struggle. After Craig reached first on a fielding error and junior Katelyn Corr reached first on a single advancing Craig to third, Mesiemore would get junior Ally Dabroksi to strikeout looking before walking sophomore Allyssa Malony to load the bases, thus signaling the end of Mesiemore's time on the mound and sending Bauman to pitch for another save opportunity. Bauman would get freshman Nicole McCarvill to strikeout swinging before sophomore Jourodn Hering grounded out to Fournet to end the game.
Pechin was credited with the loss after throwing six innings and giving up two runs (one unearned) on seven hits while walking two batters and striking out three.
"All in all, we had a solid first day and we competed hard in both games. It was great to see both pitchers give us 7 innings on day one, and offensively we did a lot of good things," said Bryant.
McGuire had the only multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3.
Fournet, Lopez, Newmark and Bennett had the only other hits.
White was credited with a no-decision after throwing 5.2 innings, giving up the one run on five hits, and struck out five batters while Mesiemore was credited with her sixth win after throwing two-thirds of an inning, giving up one hit, walking one batter and striking out one.
Bauman would be credited with her seventh save of the season after throwing two-thirds of an inning while striking out one batter. Bauman's seventh save was set as a new season record as she passed Rachael Edinge for most saves. Bauman is three away from passing Dana Frantz (nine saves) for most saves in a career.
"It's very exciting," said Bauman. "So I'm excited to see how the season goes."
"Just a fantastic job all the way around by our entire roster," said Deiros on games one and two. "All the kids we were able to be put in executed their roles and I'm really proud of them. Congratulations to Taylor Bauman for setting the FGCU single-season save record in 10 games and we're looking forward to bigger and better things from everyone moving forward."
Game Three:
Deiros would send Mesiemore to the mound to pitch for FGCU while Wright State head coach Laura Matthews sent senior Ashley Sharp (0-7, 5.48 ERA) to counter against Mesiemore
At the top of the first, Mesiemore struggled briefly. Senior Honnah Susor began with a lead off single. After sophomore Rebekah Lenos reached on a fielder's choice, back-to-back singles were hit by senior Macey Gunther and sophomore Lauren Deitrick to load the bases for the Raiders, but thanks to a strikeout and a lineout, Mesiemore was able to breathe and get out of the jam.
The Eagles would strike first in the run column at the bottom of the first. After senior Kelsey Huff was hit by a pitch and fellow senior Natalie Lopez was walked on four straight pitches, junior Racquel Fournet drove in Huff for the first run with an RBI single. After junior Brooke Clemens reached first on a fielder's choice, senior Ashley Swiderski would drive in Fournet for the second run on another RBI single.
With the bases loaded again for the Eagles, after senior Brittany McGuire was hit by a pitch, freshman Farley Callaghan drove in Clemens and Swiderski with a bases-loaded two run double.
"I felt really good and it was definitely needed," said Callaghan. "We weren't off to that slow of a start, but it was definitely a moment changer to get a couple of extra runs on the board."
Mesiemore remained calm, cooled and collected through the next three innings, despite briefly struggling in the third inning.
At the bottom of the fourth, the Eagles brought in another run. Sophomore Kate Kelly, who came in as a pinch hitter for freshman Haley Morrell, began with a pinch hit lead-off single to open the bottom half of the inning. After another Lopez single, Fournet had no trouble yet again as she drove Kelly in for the fifth run on an RBI single to make it 5-0.
"My job was to put the ball on the ground and Ahnie (Jumper) did a really good job getting there," said Bennett.
"I knew Bri (Bennett) was gonna put it in play. Somehow, someway, she always comes through for us." said Jumper. "I didn't know exactly where the ball went. I knew it was going down, and I knew it was coming back to the pitcher. If she fielded it clean, I probably was gonna forward, but she (Stockley) didn't field it cleanly, and she was looking for the ball and that's when I took off."
White would be credited with a no-decision after throwing 3.2 scoreless innings while giving up three hits and striking out two batters. Bauman would earn her first win of the season after throwing 4.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out three.
Stockley would be credited with her third loss of the season after throwing a complete game, giving up two runs on three hits while walking one and striking out one.
McGuire, Huff and Bennett were 1-for-3 each.
"It was a really nice effort all the way around by our pitching staff," said Deiros. "They had to hang in tough because defensively we made a couple of key mistakes and we didn't really hit the ball the way we wanted to today but you have to tip your hat off to UConn's pitcher Stockley for keeping us off balance the whole game. Swiderski's heads up play on the error up the middle to pick off the runner at third was the biggest play of the day. First and third and one out is a lot worse than two outs and a runner on first. Jumper did a great job being aggressive on the bases to score the winning run and it may have not been the prettiest win but we'll take it.
Up next, the Eagles travel to Tallahassee to play Hofstra, #5 Oregon, and #9 Florida State in the FSU Unconquered Invitational from March 2-4.
Game One:
Head coach Dave Deiros sent junior Riley Randolph (4-0, 1.14 ERA) to the mound to pitch for FGCU while head coach Jen McIntyre attempted to counter by sending sophomore Katie Koshes (1-2, 4.38 ERA) to pitch for U-Conn.
Randolph was off to a shaky start at the top of the first as she gave up a lead-off home run to redshirt freshman Olivia Sappington. Randolph was able to get one strike out afterwards. Randolph would then strikeout two more batters at the top of the second inning.
At the bottom of the second, the Eagles struck back at the Huskies. Junior Brooke Clemens began with a lead-off single to center and advanced to second on a fielding error. After senior Ashley Swiderski drew a walk and senior Brittany McGuire was hit by a pitch to load the bases, senior Erica Ward had no problem bringing the first two runs for the Eagles as she hit a base-loaded two run single down the middle, driving in Clemens and Swiderski.
McIntyre would pull Koshes and send senior Chelsea Eckert (1-0, 1.79 ERA) in relief. Eckert began with a walk to freshman Farley Callaghan to load the bases once again for the Eagles for senior Bri Innamorato. The Mullica Hill, New Jersey native drove in McGuire for the Eagles' third run on a sacrifice fly. The onslaught did not end for the Eagles however. After senior Kelsey Huff was walked to once again load the bases, junior Racquel Fournet drove in Callaghan and Huff on a bases-loaded two-run single before Clemens flied out to end the inning.
At the bottom of the third, Swiderski would begin the onslaught with a lead-off solo home run for her third of the season to give the Eagles a 6-1 lead, but the Huskies would attempt to counter at the top of the fifth as sophomore Devon Casazza drove in the second run on an RBI single.
Hoping to add insurance, Callaghan began with a lead-off
single and advanced to second on a throwing error. After Innamorato moved
Callaghan on a sacrifice bunt, Huff would then hit an infield single and steal
second afterwards. After senior Natalie Lopez reached on fielder's choice and
stole second as well, Fournet had no problem bringing in Huff and Lopez with
another two-RBI single.
By the top of the sixth inning, Randolph would give up another home run to freshman Maura Glatczak for the Huskies third run of the game. Freshman Taylor Bauman would come in for Randolph. Bauman did struggle briefly, but brushed it off and ended the inning for another Eagles win. The Eagles are now 4-0 against the Huskies.
"I know my job is, as closer, is to get out and get the game done. That's one of my main goals," said Bauman. "When I go in there, I just kind of think just get the outs in, let's get out of this so we can get the win."
Randolph threw six innings while giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out seven batters.
Koshes was credited with the loss for U-Conn after throwing one inning and giving up four runs on two hits while one batter and striking out one.
Fournet was the only Eagle with more than one hit as she went 2-for-4 in game one with four RBI while Ward went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Game Two:
Going to game two, the Eagles took on the Seawolves. Deiros sent sophomore Morgan White (1-0, 0.29 ERA) to pitch for the Eagles while head coach Megan Bryant sent sophomore Taylor Pechin (0-1, 1.17 ERA) to counter for the Seawolves.
The Eagles would strike the first run at the bottom of the second. After a McGuire single, senior Lulu Newmark moved McGuire to second on a ground out. After freshman Haley Morrell struck out, sophomore Kate Kelly would reach first on an error while McGuire advanced to third. Kelly would then steal second and after a throwing error from the catcher, McGuire scored the first run before Huff flew out to end the inning.
The Seawolves would then score their first run of the game at the top of the fourth. After senior Ilena Torres led things off with a lead-off single, sophomore Melissa Rahrich would advance Torres to second on a ground out before junior Irene Rivera drove in Torres on an RBI single. The Seawolves almost took the lead in the game after a double from sophomore Riley Craig, but thanks to solid teamwork from Huff, Morrell and Newmark, the Seawolves were unable to take the lead.
At the top of the sixth, with two outs, freshman Marissa Mesiemore (5-0, 0.51 ERA), who took over for White with twos out was able to get Rivera to ground into a fielder's choice for the third out.
At the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles managed to regain the lead. After Clemens struck out and Swiderski fouled out to the catcher, McGuire would reach first on an infield single. Freshman Ahnie Jumper would pinch run for McGuire before advancing to second after a single from Newmark, bringing up junior Bri Bennett to pinch hit for Morrell. On a 1-0 count, the Lake Sumter College transfer would bring Jumper in for the Eagles second run of the game before Ward grounded out to end the inning.
"My job was to get the ball on the ground and get a run in," said Bennett. "We had a good job from Ahnie Jumper that really helped us out with the RBI."
Mesiemore remained in the game for the seventh, but started to struggle. After Craig reached first on a fielding error and junior Katelyn Corr reached first on a single advancing Craig to third, Mesiemore would get junior Ally Dabroksi to strikeout looking before walking sophomore Allyssa Malony to load the bases, thus signaling the end of Mesiemore's time on the mound and sending Bauman to pitch for another save opportunity. Bauman would get freshman Nicole McCarvill to strikeout swinging before sophomore Jourodn Hering grounded out to Fournet to end the game.
"All in all, we had a solid first day and we competed hard in both games. It was great to see both pitchers give us 7 innings on day one, and offensively we did a lot of good things," said Bryant.
McGuire had the only multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3.
Fournet, Lopez, Newmark and Bennett had the only other hits.
White was credited with a no-decision after throwing 5.2 innings, giving up the one run on five hits, and struck out five batters while Mesiemore was credited with her sixth win after throwing two-thirds of an inning, giving up one hit, walking one batter and striking out one.
Bauman would be credited with her seventh save of the season after throwing two-thirds of an inning while striking out one batter. Bauman's seventh save was set as a new season record as she passed Rachael Edinge for most saves. Bauman is three away from passing Dana Frantz (nine saves) for most saves in a career.
"It's very exciting," said Bauman. "So I'm excited to see how the season goes."
"Just a fantastic job all the way around by our entire roster," said Deiros on games one and two. "All the kids we were able to be put in executed their roles and I'm really proud of them. Congratulations to Taylor Bauman for setting the FGCU single-season save record in 10 games and we're looking forward to bigger and better things from everyone moving forward."
Game Three:
Deiros would send Mesiemore to the mound to pitch for FGCU while Wright State head coach Laura Matthews sent senior Ashley Sharp (0-7, 5.48 ERA) to counter against Mesiemore
At the top of the first, Mesiemore struggled briefly. Senior Honnah Susor began with a lead off single. After sophomore Rebekah Lenos reached on a fielder's choice, back-to-back singles were hit by senior Macey Gunther and sophomore Lauren Deitrick to load the bases for the Raiders, but thanks to a strikeout and a lineout, Mesiemore was able to breathe and get out of the jam.
The Eagles would strike first in the run column at the bottom of the first. After senior Kelsey Huff was hit by a pitch and fellow senior Natalie Lopez was walked on four straight pitches, junior Racquel Fournet drove in Huff for the first run with an RBI single. After junior Brooke Clemens reached first on a fielder's choice, senior Ashley Swiderski would drive in Fournet for the second run on another RBI single.
With the bases loaded again for the Eagles, after senior Brittany McGuire was hit by a pitch, freshman Farley Callaghan drove in Clemens and Swiderski with a bases-loaded two run double.
"I felt really good and it was definitely needed," said Callaghan. "We weren't off to that slow of a start, but it was definitely a moment changer to get a couple of extra runs on the board."
Mesiemore remained calm, cooled and collected through the next three innings, despite briefly struggling in the third inning.
At the bottom of the fourth, the Eagles brought in another run. Sophomore Kate Kelly, who came in as a pinch hitter for freshman Haley Morrell, began with a pinch hit lead-off single to open the bottom half of the inning. After another Lopez single, Fournet had no trouble yet again as she drove Kelly in for the fifth run on an RBI single to make it 5-0.
In the fifth, the Eagles would add another run to the scoreboard. McGuire would start with a one-pitch lead-off single before Deiros had freshman Ahnie Jumper pinch run. After senior Emily Demurius reached first on a fielding error and a double steal occurred, junior Bri Bennett, who drove in the game-winning run against Stony Brook on day one of the tournament, hit a sacrifice fly and bring in Jumper for the sixth run.
Mesiemore had no problem to the end as the Eagles won 6-0. Mesiemore would earn with her sixth win of the season after throwing her first collegiate complete game shutout, giving up three hits while walking one and striking out one.
"I felt good about it" said Mesiemore on her shutout win. "My defense for sure had my back tonight, and we made a lot of good plays."
Sharp would be credited with her eighth loss of the season after throwing six innings and giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits while two batters and striking out five.
Fournet and McGuire had two hits each in the game. Fournet was 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored while McGuire was 2-for-2.
Callaghan was 1-for-3 with the two-RBI double.
Lopez, Swiderski and Kelly also had a hit each.
During the game, athletes from other sports were in attendance including sophomores goalkeeper Melissa Weck and defender Lindsay Patton from the women's soccer team, sophomore Marcelo Tebet from the men's tennis team, redshirt junior Jay Hayes and junior Eric Gonzalez from the baseball team and senior Ashley Glickert and freshman Kayla Whetstone from the beach volleyball team. Glickert and Whetstone competed in a bottle opening challenge during the fourth inning. Even FGCU alum and former softball player Brianna Tourtillott was in attendance.
"I felt good about it" said Mesiemore on her shutout win. "My defense for sure had my back tonight, and we made a lot of good plays."
Sharp would be credited with her eighth loss of the season after throwing six innings and giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits while two batters and striking out five.
Fournet and McGuire had two hits each in the game. Fournet was 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored while McGuire was 2-for-2.
Callaghan was 1-for-3 with the two-RBI double.
Lopez, Swiderski and Kelly also had a hit each.
During the game, athletes from other sports were in attendance including sophomores goalkeeper Melissa Weck and defender Lindsay Patton from the women's soccer team, sophomore Marcelo Tebet from the men's tennis team, redshirt junior Jay Hayes and junior Eric Gonzalez from the baseball team and senior Ashley Glickert and freshman Kayla Whetstone from the beach volleyball team. Glickert and Whetstone competed in a bottle opening challenge during the fourth inning. Even FGCU alum and former softball player Brianna Tourtillott was in attendance.
Game Four:
Deiros would have Randolph on the mound to pitch against SIU's Savanna Dover.
After giving up two hits in the first inning, Randolph was able to fight through the first, but it was the same way for Dover as she fought through the first. Dover kept the Eagles not just scoreless, but hitless too until the bottom of the fourth when Fournet hit the Eagles first hit with a single to center. Nonetheless, it did not stop Dover however.
Randolph was credited with the win after throwing a two-hit shutout while walking one batter and striking out four.
Dover, despite a valiant effort, was credited with her fourth loss after throwing six innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking one batter and striking out one.
With the win, the Eagles are now 3-1 against the Salukis.
"Two really good performances in the circle today," said Deiros on games three and four. "Marissa tossed a complete game to get the job done and Riley really stepped up after giving up a hard hit in the first. It was a fun game on both sides with good defense and both teams played really well. It was just a matter of who was going to get a break and we got one in the bottom of the sixth. Congratulations to us, we're still undefeated and tomorrow we will go out to try to win the tournament."
"We played extremely hard today and we played extremely well. We lost a starter due to illness and just had other people step up and come in and play," SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "I thought we had two extremely good pitching performances. Savanna Dover threw the best game of her early senior year. The game against FGCU could have gone either way."
After giving up two hits in the first inning, Randolph was able to fight through the first, but it was the same way for Dover as she fought through the first. Dover kept the Eagles not just scoreless, but hitless too until the bottom of the fourth when Fournet hit the Eagles first hit with a single to center. Nonetheless, it did not stop Dover however.
Randolph and Dover continued fighting neck and neck in a a pitcher's duel until Dover finally buckled at the bottom of the sixth inning. The Eagles would start with three straight infield singles from Kelly, Huff and Lopez to load the bases. After Fournet lined out to second, Clemens would drive Kelly in for the lone run of the game after reaching on a fielder's choice before Randolph closed the door in the seventh for a 1-0 Eagle win.
"I was just telling myself I had to put the ball on the ground so the run could score," said Clemens.
Randolph was credited with the win after throwing a two-hit shutout while walking one batter and striking out four.
Dover, despite a valiant effort, was credited with her fourth loss after throwing six innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking one batter and striking out one.
With the win, the Eagles are now 3-1 against the Salukis.
"We played extremely hard today and we played extremely well. We lost a starter due to illness and just had other people step up and come in and play," SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "I thought we had two extremely good pitching performances. Savanna Dover threw the best game of her early senior year. The game against FGCU could have gone either way."
Huff, Lopez, Fournet and Kelly had the four hits for the Eagles.
Game Five:
Deiros would send White to pitch against U-Conn’s Jill Stockley.
The Eagles would strike first at the bottom of the second. McGuire would start with a two out single before Bennett drove in McGuire with an RBI triple to left center.
At the fourth inning, White was pulled after loading the bases with two outs and Bauman would enter the game in relief. Bauman kept the Huskies scoreless until the top of the sixth when a sacrifice occurred and the Huskies tied the game.
Both teams did not score in the seventh inning and the game went into extra innings with the International Tiebreaker rule in effect.
The Huskies had a chance to have the runner on third, but the runner was caught in a pickle trying to go back to third and the Huskies failed to take the lead. The Eagles would then get their chance in the bottom of the eighth to seal the deal. With Jumper pinch running for McGuire, who was the last batter out, the Clewiston native was able to steal third with Bennett up to the plate.
With a 2-2 count, Bennett would hit a ground ball to the pitcher and Jumper, who saw the ball go through the pitcher’s legs, would score the game-winning run for the Eagles. This was the first walk-off win of the season for the Eagles.
At the fourth inning, White was pulled after loading the bases with two outs and Bauman would enter the game in relief. Bauman kept the Huskies scoreless until the top of the sixth when a sacrifice occurred and the Huskies tied the game.
Both teams did not score in the seventh inning and the game went into extra innings with the International Tiebreaker rule in effect.
The Huskies had a chance to have the runner on third, but the runner was caught in a pickle trying to go back to third and the Huskies failed to take the lead. The Eagles would then get their chance in the bottom of the eighth to seal the deal. With Jumper pinch running for McGuire, who was the last batter out, the Clewiston native was able to steal third with Bennett up to the plate.
With a 2-2 count, Bennett would hit a ground ball to the pitcher and Jumper, who saw the ball go through the pitcher’s legs, would score the game-winning run for the Eagles. This was the first walk-off win of the season for the Eagles.
"My job was to put the ball on the ground and Ahnie (Jumper) did a really good job getting there," said Bennett.
"I knew Bri (Bennett) was gonna put it in play. Somehow, someway, she always comes through for us." said Jumper. "I didn't know exactly where the ball went. I knew it was going down, and I knew it was coming back to the pitcher. If she fielded it clean, I probably was gonna forward, but she (Stockley) didn't field it cleanly, and she was looking for the ball and that's when I took off."
White would be credited with a no-decision after throwing 3.2 scoreless innings while giving up three hits and striking out two batters. Bauman would earn her first win of the season after throwing 4.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out three.
Stockley would be credited with her third loss of the season after throwing a complete game, giving up two runs on three hits while walking one and striking out one.
McGuire, Huff and Bennett were 1-for-3 each.
"It was a really nice effort all the way around by our pitching staff," said Deiros. "They had to hang in tough because defensively we made a couple of key mistakes and we didn't really hit the ball the way we wanted to today but you have to tip your hat off to UConn's pitcher Stockley for keeping us off balance the whole game. Swiderski's heads up play on the error up the middle to pick off the runner at third was the biggest play of the day. First and third and one out is a lot worse than two outs and a runner on first. Jumper did a great job being aggressive on the bases to score the winning run and it may have not been the prettiest win but we'll take it.
Up next, the Eagles travel to Tallahassee to play Hofstra, #5 Oregon, and #9 Florida State in the FSU Unconquered Invitational from March 2-4.
FGCU MBB vs Upstate Recap: A-SUN Quarterfinals
No. 1 seed FGCU men's basketball team (22-10) took advantage of a strong second half as they defeated No. 8 seed USC Upstate (8-22) 96-76 in the quarterfinals of the A-SUN Conference Tournament. With the win, FGCU advances to the semifinals and will face UNF, who defeated NJIT in their quarterfinals.
Leading the way offensively for FGCU was redshirt junior and A-SUN All-Conference First Team member Zach Johnson. Johnson finished with 28 points (11-17 FG, 4-6 3FG), four rebounds, three assists and one block.
Senior Christian Terrell finished with 18 points (7-9 FG, 4-4 3FG), six rebounds, eight assists and two steals.
Redshirt senior, A-SUN All-Conference First Team and A-SUN Player of the Year was held to nine points, two rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius had nine points, one rebound and two assists.
Redshirt junior Michael Gilmore had five points and two rebounds.
Off the Eagles bench, redshirt senior Antravious Simmons had 18 points (6-8 FG, 6-10 FT), eight rebounds and one assist.
Sophomore RaySean Scott Jr had eight points, three rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
Freshman Brian Thomas had three points and two rebounds.
For the Spartans, redshirt junior Michael Cunnigham had 28 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Junior Malik Moore had 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals.
Senior Ramel Thompkins had 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Junior Deion Holmes had seven points, four rebounds and one assist.
Junior A-SUN All-Academic Team member Jure Span had five points, one rebound and three assists.
Off the bench, junior Pat Welch had three points.
Redshirt freshman Thomas Booker had two points and one rebound.
Freshman Avery Diggs contributed with two rebounds.
Senior Carson Smith contributed with one rebound and one assist.
Freshman Isaiah Anderson contributed with two rebounds and one steal.
This was Upstate's official last men's basketball game in the A-SUN Conference as they will be leaving the A-SUN and will join the Big South Conference.
In the other conference tournament games, No. 5 UNF defeated No. 4 NJIT 80-76, No. 3 Jacksonville defeated No. 6 Kennesaw 87-68 and No. 2 Lipscomb defeated No. 7 Stetson 89-73.
So as it sits, It will be No. 1 FGCU vs No. 5 UNF and No. 2 Lipscomb vs No. 3 Jacksonville.
FGCU MTEN vs UT-Arlington Recap
The FGCU men’s tennis team (3-5) faced UT-Arlington successfully as the Eagles won 4-2. With the win, FGCU is now 2-0 against UT-Arlington and are 3-0 at home.
“I’m extremely happy for the guys today even though we didn’t have our head coach CJ Weber here, the guys were on top of their matches,” said assistant coach Lucas Vaz, who was filling in for Weber today.
Weber was unable to be with the team due to personal reasons.
In the doubles portion, the team of junior Ezequiel Cerrini and sophomore Felipe Ramirez beat the freshman duo of Eduard Simo and Andre Russo by a score of 6-3 on court three, while the junior duo of Mateo Ruiz and Javier Fernandez defeated sophomore Enrique Pardo and junior Abhishek Bostala by a score of 6-4 on court two to claim the doubles point for FGCU.
The team of senior Austin Bates and junior Felipe Escobar fell 4-6 to the junior duo of Guanarteme Nuez and Mauricio Del Rio on court one.
“They were fighting really well, and I was just extremely proud of every single court. Mainly in doubles, we started really well, and that’s something we have been working on through the season, and I think the guys are ready,” said Vaz. “Now it’s just get ready for the next match against UNF next week and we’ll be good to go.”
Going into singles, Fernandez began with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Russo. Escobar would soon follow with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Del Rio. The Eagles buckled in the next two matches as Cerrini would fall 3-6, 3-6 to Pardo and Ramirez would fall 6-7, 4-6 to Nuez, leaving two matches left for both teams to finish.
“At the beginning, we were really quiet, but during the match, we started getting better and I think that it was an improvement that we do that we start doing new things, cross more volleys, play more aggressive and be loud. We got the “W” in doubles and singles," said Ruiz.
"Today was a tough match, but overall, I feel that the team was pretty loud with confidence and I’m happy to get the “W” for coach and the program.”
Ruiz would secure the final Eagles point with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Simo. Bates and Bostola did not finish their matches after Ruiz secured the point.
The Eagles return to action on the road as they face UNF to open conference on Friday, Mar. 2 at 6 P.M.
“I’m extremely happy for the guys today even though we didn’t have our head coach CJ Weber here, the guys were on top of their matches,” said assistant coach Lucas Vaz, who was filling in for Weber today.
Weber was unable to be with the team due to personal reasons.
In the doubles portion, the team of junior Ezequiel Cerrini and sophomore Felipe Ramirez beat the freshman duo of Eduard Simo and Andre Russo by a score of 6-3 on court three, while the junior duo of Mateo Ruiz and Javier Fernandez defeated sophomore Enrique Pardo and junior Abhishek Bostala by a score of 6-4 on court two to claim the doubles point for FGCU.
The team of senior Austin Bates and junior Felipe Escobar fell 4-6 to the junior duo of Guanarteme Nuez and Mauricio Del Rio on court one.
“They were fighting really well, and I was just extremely proud of every single court. Mainly in doubles, we started really well, and that’s something we have been working on through the season, and I think the guys are ready,” said Vaz. “Now it’s just get ready for the next match against UNF next week and we’ll be good to go.”
Going into singles, Fernandez began with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Russo. Escobar would soon follow with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Del Rio. The Eagles buckled in the next two matches as Cerrini would fall 3-6, 3-6 to Pardo and Ramirez would fall 6-7, 4-6 to Nuez, leaving two matches left for both teams to finish.
“At the beginning, we were really quiet, but during the match, we started getting better and I think that it was an improvement that we do that we start doing new things, cross more volleys, play more aggressive and be loud. We got the “W” in doubles and singles," said Ruiz.
"Today was a tough match, but overall, I feel that the team was pretty loud with confidence and I’m happy to get the “W” for coach and the program.”
Ruiz would secure the final Eagles point with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Simo. Bates and Bostola did not finish their matches after Ruiz secured the point.
The Eagles return to action on the road as they face UNF to open conference on Friday, Mar. 2 at 6 P.M.
FGCU Softball: Four Points by Shearton Invitational Recap- Day Two
The FGCU softball team (12-0) continued their strong performances on day two of the FGCU Four Points by Shearton Invitational with two shutout wins over Wright State and Southern Illinois.
Before FGCU played, Wright State (0-9) started day two with a 1-8 loss to U-Conn (7-6). U-Conn remained on the field as they defeated Stony Brook (1-3) 2-1. The Seawolves would then face SIU (7-5) in a losing effort as the Salukis won 6-2.
Now we fast forward to FGCU facing Wright State. This was the first time both teams met this season. Deiros would send freshman Marissa Mesiemore to the mound to pitch for FGCU while head coach Laura Matthews sent senior Ashley Sharp (0-7, 5.48 ERA) to counter for Wright State.
At the top of the first, Mesiemore struggled briefly. Senior Honnah Susor began with a lead off single. After sophomore Rebekah Lenos reached on a fielder's choice, back-to-back singles were hit by senior Macey Gunther and sophomore Lauren Deitrick to load the bases for the Raiders, but thanks to a strikeout and a lineout, Mesiemore was able to breathe.
The Eagles would strike first in the run columns at the bottom of the first. After senior Kelsey Huff was hit by a pitch and senior Natalie Lopez was walked on four straight pitches, junior Racquel Fournet drove in Huff for the first run with an RBI single. After junior Brooke Clemens reached first on a fielder's choice, senior Ashley Swiderski would drive in Fournet for the second run on another RBI single.
With the bases loaded again for the Eagles, after senior Brittany McGuire was hit by a pitch, freshman Farley Callaghan drove in Clemens and Swiderski with a bases-loaded two RBI double.
"I felt really good and it was definitely needed," said Callaghan on her double. "We weren't off to that slow of a start, but it was definitely a moment changer to get a couple of extra runs on the board."
Mesiemore remained calm, cooled and collected through the next three innings despite briefly struggling again in the third inning.
At the bottom of the fourth, the Eagles brought in another run. Sophomore Kate Kelly, who came in as a pinch hitter for freshman Haley Morrell, began with a pinch hit lead off single to open the bottom half of the inning. After another Lopez single, Fournet had no trouble yet again as she drove Kelly in for the fifth run on an RBI single.
In the fifth, the Eagles would add another run to the scoreboard. McGuire would start with a one-pitch lead-off single before Deiros had freshman Ahnie Jumper pinch run. After senior Emily Demurius reached first on a fielding error and a double steal occurred, junior Bri Bennett, who drove in the game-winning run against Stony Brook on day one of the tournament, hit a sacrifice fly and bring in Jumper for the sixth run.
Mesiemore had no problem to the end as the Eagles won 6-0. Mesiemore would earn with her sixth win of the season after throwing her first collegiate complete game shutout, giving up three hits while walking one and striking out one.
"I felt good about it," said Mesiemore on her shutout win. "My defense for sure had my back tonight, and we made a lot of good plays."
Sharp would be credited with her eighth loss of the season after throwing six innings and giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits while two batters and striking out five.
Fournet and McGuire had two hits each in the game. Fournet was 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored while McGuire was 2-for-2.
Callaghan was 1-for-3 with the two-RBI double.
Lopez, Swiderski and Kelly also had a hit each.
During the game, athletes from other sports were in attendance including sophomores goalkeeper Melissa Weck and defender Lindsay Patton from the women's soccer team, sophomore Marcelo Tebet from the men's tennis team, redshirt junior Jay Hayes and junior Eric Gonzalez from the baseball team and senior Ashley Glickert and freshman Kayla Whetstone from the beach volleyball team. Glickert and Whetstone competed in a bottle opening challenge during the fourth inning.
Even FGCU alum and former softball player Brianna Tourtillott was in attendance.
Fast forward to FGCU vs Southern Illinois. Deiros would send junior Riley Randolph to pitch for the Eagles while head coach Kerri Blaylock sent senior Savanna Dover to pitch for the Salukis to counter Riley.
After giving up two hits in the first inning, Randolph was able to fight through the first, but it was the same way for Dover as she fought through the first. Dover kept the Eagles not just scoreless, but hitless too until the bottom of the fourth when Fournet hit the Eagles first hit with a single to center. Nonetheless, it did not stop Dover.
Randolph and Dover continued fighting neck and neck in pitching until Dover finally buckled at the bottom of the sixth inning. The Eagles would start with three straight infield singles from Kelly, Huff and Lopez to load the bases. After Fournet lined out to second, Clemens would drive Kelly in for the lone run of the game after reaching on a fielder's choice before Randolph closed the door in the seventh for a 1-0 Eagle win.
"I was just telling myself I had to put the ball on the ground so the run could score," said Clemens.
Randolph was credited with the win after throwing a two-hit shutout while walking one batter and striking out four.
Dover, despite a valiant effort, was credited with her fourth loss after throwing six innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking one batter and striking out one.
"Two really good performances in the circle today," said head coach David Deiros. "Marissa tossed a complete game to get the job done and Riley really stepped up after giving up a hard hit in the first. It was a fun game on both sides with good defense and both teams played really well. It was just a matter of who was going to get a break and we got one in the bottom of the sixth. Congratulations to us, we're still undefeated and tomorrow we will go out to try to win the tournament."
With the win, the Eagles are now 3-1 against the Salukis.
Up next, the Eagles wrap up the invitational with one final game against U-Conn at noon.
Sophomore Morgan White will be on the mound to pitch for FGCU against U-Conn's Jill Stockley.
Before to FGCU playing against U-Conn, Wright State and Stony Brook will play in one final game at 9:30 A.M.
The game against U-Conn will be dubbed as a pink out, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear pink to the game.
Now we fast forward to FGCU facing Wright State. This was the first time both teams met this season. Deiros would send freshman Marissa Mesiemore to the mound to pitch for FGCU while head coach Laura Matthews sent senior Ashley Sharp (0-7, 5.48 ERA) to counter for Wright State.
At the top of the first, Mesiemore struggled briefly. Senior Honnah Susor began with a lead off single. After sophomore Rebekah Lenos reached on a fielder's choice, back-to-back singles were hit by senior Macey Gunther and sophomore Lauren Deitrick to load the bases for the Raiders, but thanks to a strikeout and a lineout, Mesiemore was able to breathe.
The Eagles would strike first in the run columns at the bottom of the first. After senior Kelsey Huff was hit by a pitch and senior Natalie Lopez was walked on four straight pitches, junior Racquel Fournet drove in Huff for the first run with an RBI single. After junior Brooke Clemens reached first on a fielder's choice, senior Ashley Swiderski would drive in Fournet for the second run on another RBI single.
With the bases loaded again for the Eagles, after senior Brittany McGuire was hit by a pitch, freshman Farley Callaghan drove in Clemens and Swiderski with a bases-loaded two RBI double.
"I felt really good and it was definitely needed," said Callaghan on her double. "We weren't off to that slow of a start, but it was definitely a moment changer to get a couple of extra runs on the board."
Mesiemore remained calm, cooled and collected through the next three innings despite briefly struggling again in the third inning.
At the bottom of the fourth, the Eagles brought in another run. Sophomore Kate Kelly, who came in as a pinch hitter for freshman Haley Morrell, began with a pinch hit lead off single to open the bottom half of the inning. After another Lopez single, Fournet had no trouble yet again as she drove Kelly in for the fifth run on an RBI single.
In the fifth, the Eagles would add another run to the scoreboard. McGuire would start with a one-pitch lead-off single before Deiros had freshman Ahnie Jumper pinch run. After senior Emily Demurius reached first on a fielding error and a double steal occurred, junior Bri Bennett, who drove in the game-winning run against Stony Brook on day one of the tournament, hit a sacrifice fly and bring in Jumper for the sixth run.
Mesiemore had no problem to the end as the Eagles won 6-0. Mesiemore would earn with her sixth win of the season after throwing her first collegiate complete game shutout, giving up three hits while walking one and striking out one.
"I felt good about it," said Mesiemore on her shutout win. "My defense for sure had my back tonight, and we made a lot of good plays."
Sharp would be credited with her eighth loss of the season after throwing six innings and giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits while two batters and striking out five.
Fournet and McGuire had two hits each in the game. Fournet was 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored while McGuire was 2-for-2.
Callaghan was 1-for-3 with the two-RBI double.
Lopez, Swiderski and Kelly also had a hit each.
During the game, athletes from other sports were in attendance including sophomores goalkeeper Melissa Weck and defender Lindsay Patton from the women's soccer team, sophomore Marcelo Tebet from the men's tennis team, redshirt junior Jay Hayes and junior Eric Gonzalez from the baseball team and senior Ashley Glickert and freshman Kayla Whetstone from the beach volleyball team. Glickert and Whetstone competed in a bottle opening challenge during the fourth inning.
Even FGCU alum and former softball player Brianna Tourtillott was in attendance.
Fast forward to FGCU vs Southern Illinois. Deiros would send junior Riley Randolph to pitch for the Eagles while head coach Kerri Blaylock sent senior Savanna Dover to pitch for the Salukis to counter Riley.
After giving up two hits in the first inning, Randolph was able to fight through the first, but it was the same way for Dover as she fought through the first. Dover kept the Eagles not just scoreless, but hitless too until the bottom of the fourth when Fournet hit the Eagles first hit with a single to center. Nonetheless, it did not stop Dover.
Randolph and Dover continued fighting neck and neck in pitching until Dover finally buckled at the bottom of the sixth inning. The Eagles would start with three straight infield singles from Kelly, Huff and Lopez to load the bases. After Fournet lined out to second, Clemens would drive Kelly in for the lone run of the game after reaching on a fielder's choice before Randolph closed the door in the seventh for a 1-0 Eagle win.
"I was just telling myself I had to put the ball on the ground so the run could score," said Clemens.
Randolph was credited with the win after throwing a two-hit shutout while walking one batter and striking out four.
Dover, despite a valiant effort, was credited with her fourth loss after throwing six innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking one batter and striking out one.
"Two really good performances in the circle today," said head coach David Deiros. "Marissa tossed a complete game to get the job done and Riley really stepped up after giving up a hard hit in the first. It was a fun game on both sides with good defense and both teams played really well. It was just a matter of who was going to get a break and we got one in the bottom of the sixth. Congratulations to us, we're still undefeated and tomorrow we will go out to try to win the tournament."
With the win, the Eagles are now 3-1 against the Salukis.
Up next, the Eagles wrap up the invitational with one final game against U-Conn at noon.
Sophomore Morgan White will be on the mound to pitch for FGCU against U-Conn's Jill Stockley.
Before to FGCU playing against U-Conn, Wright State and Stony Brook will play in one final game at 9:30 A.M.
The game against U-Conn will be dubbed as a pink out, so marketing is encouraging fans to wear pink to the game.
FGCU Softball: Four Points by Shearton Invitational Day One Recap
The FGCU softball team (10-0) continued their hot streak as they opened up with two wins over U-Conn (8-3) and Stony Brook (2-1) in the FGCU Four Points by Shearton Invitational.
Before FGCU played, Southern Illinois (6-4) began the invitational defeating Wright State (0-7) 6-3 and U-Conn (5-6) 5-4. Wright State would return to the field and fell to Stony Brook (1-1) by a score of 2-5.
Fast forward to FGCU vs U-Conn. Head coach Dave Deiros sent junior Riley Randolph (4-0, 1.14 ERA) to the mound to pitch for FGCU while head coach Jen McIntyre attempted to counter by sending sophomore Katie Koshes (1-2, 4.38 ERA) to pitch for U-Conn.
Randolph was off to a shaky start at the top of the first as she gave up a lead-off home run to redshirt freshman Olivia Sappington. Randolph was able to get one strikeout afterwards. Randolph would then strikeout two more batters at the top of the second inning.
In the bottom of the second, the Eagles struck back at the Huskies. Junior Brooke Clemens began with a lead-off single to center before advancing to second on a fielding error. After senior Ashley Swiderski drew a walk and senior Brittany McGuire was hit by a pitch to load the bases, senior Erica Ward had no problem bringing the first two runs for the Eagles as she clocked a base-loaded two RBI single down the middle, driving in Clemens and Swiderski.
McIntyre would pull Koshes and send senior Chelsea Eckert (1-0, 1.79 ERA) in relief. Eckert began with a walk to freshman Farley Callaghan to load the bases once again for the Eagles for senior Bri Innamorato. The Mullica Hill, New Jersey native drove in McGuire for the Eagles' third run on a sacrifice fly.
The onslaught did not end for the Eagles however. After senior Kelsey Huff was walked to once again load the bases, junior Racquel Fournet drove in Callaghan and Huff on a bases-loaded two-run single before Clemens flied out to end the inning.
At the bottom of the third, Swiderski would begin the onslaught with a lead-off solo home run for her third of the season to give the Eagles a 6-1 lead, but the Huskies would attempt to counter at the top of the fifth as sophomore Devon Casazza drove in the second run on an RBI single. By the top of the sixth inning, Randolph would give up another home run to freshman Maura Glatczak for the Huskies third run of the game.
Hoping to add insurance, Callaghan began with a lead-off single and advanced to second on a throwing error. After Innamorato moved Callaghan to third on a sacrifice bunt, Huff would then hit an infield single to send Callaghan home and steal second afterwards. After senior Natalie Lopez reached on fielder's choice and stole second as well, Fournet had no problem bringing in Huff and Lopez with another two-RBI single.
Freshman Taylor Bauman (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 saves) would come in for Randolph for a non-save situation. Bauman did struggle briefly, but brushed it off and ended the inning for another Eagles win. The Eagles are now 4-0 against the Huskies.
Randolph would get the win after throwing six innings while giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out seven batters.
Bauman threw one scoreless inning and with one strikeout.
Koshes was credited with her third loss for after throwing one inning and giving up four runs on two hits while one batter and striking out one.
Fournet, who played designated hitter for the game, finished 2-for-4 with four RBI. Fournet had the only multi game for FGCU.
Ward, who played first base, went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Swiderski was 1-for-1 with one RBI, two walks and two runs scored.
Going to game two, the Eagles took on the Seawolves. Deiros sent sophomore Morgan White (1-0, 0.29 ERA) to pitch for the Eagles while head coach Megan T. Bryant sent sophomore Taylor Pechin (0-1, 1.17 ERA) to counter for the Seawolves.
After both teams failed to score in the first, the Eagles would strike the first run at the bottom of the second. After a McGuire single, senior Lulu Newmark moved McGuire to second on a ground out. After freshman Haley Morrell struck out, sophomore Kate Kelly would reach first on an error while McGuire advanced to third. Kelly would then steal second, and after a throwing error from the catcher, McGuire scored the first run before Huff flew out to end the inning.
The Seawolves would then score their first run of the game at the top of the fourth. After senior Ilena Torres led things off with a lead-off single, sophomore Melissa Rahrich would advance Torres to second on a ground out before junior Irene Rivera drove in Torres on an RBI single. The Seawolves almost took the lead in the game after a double from sophomore Riley Craig, but thanks to solid teamwork from Huff, Morrell and Newmark, the Seawolves were unable to take the lead.
At the top of the sixth, with two outs, freshman Marissa Mesiemore (5-0, 0.51 ERA), who took over for White with twos out was able to get Rivera to ground into a fielder's choice for the third.
At the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles managed to regain the lead. After Clemens struck out and Swiderski fouled out to the catcher, McGuire would reach first on an infield single. Freshman Ahnie Jumper would pinch run for McGuire before advancing to second after a single from Newmark, bringing up junior Bri Bennett to pinch hit for Morrell. On a 1-0 count, the Lake Sumter College transfer would bring Jumper in for the Eagles second run of the game before Ward grounded out to end the inning.
"My job was to get the ball on the ground and get a run in," said Bennett. "We had a good job from Ahnie Jumper that really helped us out with the RBI."
Mesiemore remained in the game for the seventh, but started to struggle. After Craig reached first on a fielding error and junior Katelyn Corr reached first on a single advancing Craig to third, Mesiemore would get junior Ally Dabroksi to strikeout looking before walking sophomore Allyssa Malony to load the bases.
This signaled the end of Mesiemore's time on the mound as Deiros sent Bauman to pitch. Bauman would get freshman Nicole McCarvill to strikeout swinging before sophomore Jourdin Hering grounded out to Fournet to end the game.
"Just a fantastic job all the way around by our entire roster," said Deiros. "All the kids we were able to be put in executed their roles and I'm really proud of them. Congratulations to Taylor Bauman for setting the FGCU single-season save record in 10 games and we're looking forward to bigger and better things from everyone moving forward."
White received a no-decision after throwing five and two-thirds innings while giving up one run on five hits while striking out five batters.
Mesiemore would be credited with the win after throwing two-thirds of an inning while giving up one hit and walking one batter and striking out one.
Bauman would be credited with her seventh save of the season after throwing two-thirds of an inning while striking out one batter. Bauman's seventh save was set as a new season record as she passed Rachael Edinge for most saves.
Bauman is three away from passing Dana Frantz (nine saves) for most saves in a career.
"I know my job is, as closer, is to get out and get the game done. That's one of my main goals," said Bauman. "When I go in there, I just kind of think 'just get the outs in, let's get out of this so we can get the win'."
"It's very exciting," Bauman added. "So I'm excited to see how the season goes."
Pechin was credited with the loss after throwing six innings and giving up two runs (one unearned) on seven hits while walking two batters and striking out three.
"All in all, we had a solid first day and we competed hard in both games. It was great to see both pitchers give us 7 innings on day one, and offensively we did a lot of good things," said Bryant.
McGuire had the only multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Fournet (1-for-3), Lopez (1-for-3), Newmark (1-for-2, one walk) and Bennett (1-for-1, one RBI) had the only other hits.
Up next, the Eagles continue with day two of the invitational as they face Wright State at 4:45 P.M. before facing Southern Illinois at 7 P.M. Before FGCU's games, three games will be played prior: Wright State vs U-Conn at 10 A.M., U-Conn vs Stony Brook at 12:15 P.M. and Stony Brook vs Southern Illinois at 2:30 P.M.
Before FGCU played, Southern Illinois (6-4) began the invitational defeating Wright State (0-7) 6-3 and U-Conn (5-6) 5-4. Wright State would return to the field and fell to Stony Brook (1-1) by a score of 2-5.
Fast forward to FGCU vs U-Conn. Head coach Dave Deiros sent junior Riley Randolph (4-0, 1.14 ERA) to the mound to pitch for FGCU while head coach Jen McIntyre attempted to counter by sending sophomore Katie Koshes (1-2, 4.38 ERA) to pitch for U-Conn.
Randolph was off to a shaky start at the top of the first as she gave up a lead-off home run to redshirt freshman Olivia Sappington. Randolph was able to get one strikeout afterwards. Randolph would then strikeout two more batters at the top of the second inning.
In the bottom of the second, the Eagles struck back at the Huskies. Junior Brooke Clemens began with a lead-off single to center before advancing to second on a fielding error. After senior Ashley Swiderski drew a walk and senior Brittany McGuire was hit by a pitch to load the bases, senior Erica Ward had no problem bringing the first two runs for the Eagles as she clocked a base-loaded two RBI single down the middle, driving in Clemens and Swiderski.
McIntyre would pull Koshes and send senior Chelsea Eckert (1-0, 1.79 ERA) in relief. Eckert began with a walk to freshman Farley Callaghan to load the bases once again for the Eagles for senior Bri Innamorato. The Mullica Hill, New Jersey native drove in McGuire for the Eagles' third run on a sacrifice fly.
The onslaught did not end for the Eagles however. After senior Kelsey Huff was walked to once again load the bases, junior Racquel Fournet drove in Callaghan and Huff on a bases-loaded two-run single before Clemens flied out to end the inning.
At the bottom of the third, Swiderski would begin the onslaught with a lead-off solo home run for her third of the season to give the Eagles a 6-1 lead, but the Huskies would attempt to counter at the top of the fifth as sophomore Devon Casazza drove in the second run on an RBI single. By the top of the sixth inning, Randolph would give up another home run to freshman Maura Glatczak for the Huskies third run of the game.
Hoping to add insurance, Callaghan began with a lead-off single and advanced to second on a throwing error. After Innamorato moved Callaghan to third on a sacrifice bunt, Huff would then hit an infield single to send Callaghan home and steal second afterwards. After senior Natalie Lopez reached on fielder's choice and stole second as well, Fournet had no problem bringing in Huff and Lopez with another two-RBI single.
Freshman Taylor Bauman (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 saves) would come in for Randolph for a non-save situation. Bauman did struggle briefly, but brushed it off and ended the inning for another Eagles win. The Eagles are now 4-0 against the Huskies.
Randolph would get the win after throwing six innings while giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out seven batters.
Bauman threw one scoreless inning and with one strikeout.
Koshes was credited with her third loss for after throwing one inning and giving up four runs on two hits while one batter and striking out one.
Fournet, who played designated hitter for the game, finished 2-for-4 with four RBI. Fournet had the only multi game for FGCU.
Ward, who played first base, went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Swiderski was 1-for-1 with one RBI, two walks and two runs scored.
Going to game two, the Eagles took on the Seawolves. Deiros sent sophomore Morgan White (1-0, 0.29 ERA) to pitch for the Eagles while head coach Megan T. Bryant sent sophomore Taylor Pechin (0-1, 1.17 ERA) to counter for the Seawolves.
After both teams failed to score in the first, the Eagles would strike the first run at the bottom of the second. After a McGuire single, senior Lulu Newmark moved McGuire to second on a ground out. After freshman Haley Morrell struck out, sophomore Kate Kelly would reach first on an error while McGuire advanced to third. Kelly would then steal second, and after a throwing error from the catcher, McGuire scored the first run before Huff flew out to end the inning.
The Seawolves would then score their first run of the game at the top of the fourth. After senior Ilena Torres led things off with a lead-off single, sophomore Melissa Rahrich would advance Torres to second on a ground out before junior Irene Rivera drove in Torres on an RBI single. The Seawolves almost took the lead in the game after a double from sophomore Riley Craig, but thanks to solid teamwork from Huff, Morrell and Newmark, the Seawolves were unable to take the lead.
At the top of the sixth, with two outs, freshman Marissa Mesiemore (5-0, 0.51 ERA), who took over for White with twos out was able to get Rivera to ground into a fielder's choice for the third.
At the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles managed to regain the lead. After Clemens struck out and Swiderski fouled out to the catcher, McGuire would reach first on an infield single. Freshman Ahnie Jumper would pinch run for McGuire before advancing to second after a single from Newmark, bringing up junior Bri Bennett to pinch hit for Morrell. On a 1-0 count, the Lake Sumter College transfer would bring Jumper in for the Eagles second run of the game before Ward grounded out to end the inning.
"My job was to get the ball on the ground and get a run in," said Bennett. "We had a good job from Ahnie Jumper that really helped us out with the RBI."
Mesiemore remained in the game for the seventh, but started to struggle. After Craig reached first on a fielding error and junior Katelyn Corr reached first on a single advancing Craig to third, Mesiemore would get junior Ally Dabroksi to strikeout looking before walking sophomore Allyssa Malony to load the bases.
This signaled the end of Mesiemore's time on the mound as Deiros sent Bauman to pitch. Bauman would get freshman Nicole McCarvill to strikeout swinging before sophomore Jourdin Hering grounded out to Fournet to end the game.
"Just a fantastic job all the way around by our entire roster," said Deiros. "All the kids we were able to be put in executed their roles and I'm really proud of them. Congratulations to Taylor Bauman for setting the FGCU single-season save record in 10 games and we're looking forward to bigger and better things from everyone moving forward."
Mesiemore would be credited with the win after throwing two-thirds of an inning while giving up one hit and walking one batter and striking out one.
Bauman would be credited with her seventh save of the season after throwing two-thirds of an inning while striking out one batter. Bauman's seventh save was set as a new season record as she passed Rachael Edinge for most saves.
Bauman is three away from passing Dana Frantz (nine saves) for most saves in a career.
"I know my job is, as closer, is to get out and get the game done. That's one of my main goals," said Bauman. "When I go in there, I just kind of think 'just get the outs in, let's get out of this so we can get the win'."
"It's very exciting," Bauman added. "So I'm excited to see how the season goes."
Pechin was credited with the loss after throwing six innings and giving up two runs (one unearned) on seven hits while walking two batters and striking out three.
"All in all, we had a solid first day and we competed hard in both games. It was great to see both pitchers give us 7 innings on day one, and offensively we did a lot of good things," said Bryant.
McGuire had the only multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Fournet (1-for-3), Lopez (1-for-3), Newmark (1-for-2, one walk) and Bennett (1-for-1, one RBI) had the only other hits.
Up next, the Eagles continue with day two of the invitational as they face Wright State at 4:45 P.M. before facing Southern Illinois at 7 P.M. Before FGCU's games, three games will be played prior: Wright State vs U-Conn at 10 A.M., U-Conn vs Stony Brook at 12:15 P.M. and Stony Brook vs Southern Illinois at 2:30 P.M.
FGCU Softball FGCU Four Points by Shearton Invitational Preview
The FGCU softball team (8-0) hosts their second tournament of the season as they welcome U-Conn (5-4), Stony Brook (0-0), Wright State (0-5), and Southern Illinois (4-4) in the FGCU Four Points by Shearton Invitational.
Last Time Out:
In their last series, the Eagles swept visiting Oakland on Wednesday, February 20 by scores of 7-1 and 5-4. The Eagles current record is a program-best since 2014.
Leading the fray on the offensive side are seniors Natalie Lopez and Ashley Swiderski and juniors Brooke Clemens and Racquel Fournet.
Lopez currently leads the team in batting average (.769). The Miami native was 5-for-6 in the series against Oakland with two runs scored and two stolen bases.
Since transferring from Florida, Clemens has been a strong factor not just behind home plate, but from the batter's box. Clemens is batting .304 with seven hits and nine RBI. In the series with Oakland, Clemens went 2-for-6 with four RBI.
Despite going 1-for-7 last series, Fournet is still batting .417 with 10 hits, one home run and three RBI.
Swiderski is currently batting .400 and leads the team with two home runs and seven RBI. Swiderski was 3-for-6 with a triple and two RBI.
On the mound, junior Riley Randolph and freshman Marisa Mesiemore have been keys to the starting rotation.
Since her return against Ball State, Randolph (3-0, 0.37 ERA) has made great impact. In Randolph's last start, she threw six scoreless innings and gave up one unearned run on three hits while striking out six batters.
Mesiemore (4-0, 0.54 ERA) currently leads the team in overall wins. Mesiemore threw one scoreless inning against Oakland.
Freshman Taylor Bauman has also come in clutch in the closer role. The Jacksonville native currently has six saves this season.
Scouting U-Conn:
The Huskies (5-4) recently competed in the Costal Carolina Invitational. They would lose to Kent State (0-10) and host Costal Carolina (0-6) before regaining their composure and defeating Robert Morris (1-0) and Rider (3-0).
Offensively, senior Emma Stanley leads the team in batting average (.400) and hits (10). Stanley was 6-for-12 (.500) in the Costal Carolina Invitational.
Sophomore Devon Casazza has the Huskies lone home run. Casazza is batting .250 with six hits and four RBI.
The duo of freshman Marybeth Olson and senior Chelsea Eckert lead the way on the mound.
Olson is 2-1 currently with a 0.40 ERA and 21 strikeouts. In Olson's last start, she threw a complete game two-hit shutout against Robert Morris where she struck out nine batters.
Eckert is currently 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Eckert threw a four-hit shutout against Rider and struck out 11 batters.
Scouting Stony Brook:
The Seawolves are just beginning their season at the FGCU Four Point Invitational. This will be their first five games of the season.
Last season, the Seawolves went 18-29 overall with a 9-7 record in the AEC. The Seawolves are lead by head coach Megan T. Bryant.
Junior Irene Rivera led the Seawolves last year with 34 RBIs to go with her eight home runs.
Sophomore Melissa Rahrich comes back into the circle after 47 appearances last season. Rahrich was 12-12 with a 3.47 ERA while striking out 99 batters. Rahric also led the program at the dish registering a team-best .363 BA. In the batter's box, Rahrich batted .364 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs.
The interesting thing about Stony Brook is current FGCU assistant coach Jamie Kertes was under Bryant's wing as an assistant coach for two seasons.
Scouting Wright State:
This will be the first time the Eagles face the Raiders. The Raiders (0-5) recently competed in the Total Sports Control Invitational hosted by Depaul. They would fall to Depaul twice (0-4, 4-8), Loyola Chicago (1-9, six innings), Northern Colorado (3-12, six innings) and Fort Wayne (0-2).
Senior Honnah Susor leads the squad with a .357 BA, tallying five hits and one double.
Scouting SIU:
The Salukis (4-4) recently competed in the Gamecock Invitational, hosted by South Carolina. They would beat former A-SUN Conference member Mercer (6-1) and Georgetown (13-4 (5)) before falling to host South Carolina (0-2) and Michigan State (1-2).
Sophomore Maddy Vermejan leads a trio of .300 plus hitters going .450 at the plate. Vermejan was 1-for-2 in her last game.
Sophomore Katelyn Massa leads the team with 11 RBI. In her game against Georgetown, Massa hit two home runs with six RBI.
In the circle, junior Brianna Jones is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA in six appearances, tossing four complete games. In Jones' last game, she ended with a no decision after throwing three scoreless innings.
Series History:
The Eagles are currently 3-0 against the Huskies. Originally, both teams were supposed to play each other last season, but due to a snowstorm, they had to cancel. The last time both teams played was on March 18, 2014 where the Eagles swept the Huskies 3-1 and 7-0.
Against the Seawolves, FGCU leads the all-time series 3-1. The two teams last met back in 2016 when the Eagles and Seawolves combined for 23 runs with FGCU taking the final, 12-11.
FGCU leads the all-time series 2-1 against SIU as the Eagles took the last meeting back in 2016 by a score of 6-5.
The Eagles open their part of the tournament on Friday, February 23 as they play U-Conn at 4:45 P.M. and Stony Brook at 7 P.M and Wright State and Southern Illinois on Saturday, February 24 at the same times (4:45 P.M. Wright State, 7 P.M. Southern Illinois) before wrapping up the invitational with a final game against U-Conn on Sunday, February 25 at noon.
The games against Wright State and Southern Illinois are Greenouts while the final game against U-Conn is a Pinkout.
Last Time Out:
In their last series, the Eagles swept visiting Oakland on Wednesday, February 20 by scores of 7-1 and 5-4. The Eagles current record is a program-best since 2014.
Leading the fray on the offensive side are seniors Natalie Lopez and Ashley Swiderski and juniors Brooke Clemens and Racquel Fournet.
Lopez currently leads the team in batting average (.769). The Miami native was 5-for-6 in the series against Oakland with two runs scored and two stolen bases.
Since transferring from Florida, Clemens has been a strong factor not just behind home plate, but from the batter's box. Clemens is batting .304 with seven hits and nine RBI. In the series with Oakland, Clemens went 2-for-6 with four RBI.
Despite going 1-for-7 last series, Fournet is still batting .417 with 10 hits, one home run and three RBI.
Swiderski is currently batting .400 and leads the team with two home runs and seven RBI. Swiderski was 3-for-6 with a triple and two RBI.
On the mound, junior Riley Randolph and freshman Marisa Mesiemore have been keys to the starting rotation.
Since her return against Ball State, Randolph (3-0, 0.37 ERA) has made great impact. In Randolph's last start, she threw six scoreless innings and gave up one unearned run on three hits while striking out six batters.
Mesiemore (4-0, 0.54 ERA) currently leads the team in overall wins. Mesiemore threw one scoreless inning against Oakland.
Freshman Taylor Bauman has also come in clutch in the closer role. The Jacksonville native currently has six saves this season.
Scouting U-Conn:
The Huskies (5-4) recently competed in the Costal Carolina Invitational. They would lose to Kent State (0-10) and host Costal Carolina (0-6) before regaining their composure and defeating Robert Morris (1-0) and Rider (3-0).
Offensively, senior Emma Stanley leads the team in batting average (.400) and hits (10). Stanley was 6-for-12 (.500) in the Costal Carolina Invitational.
Sophomore Devon Casazza has the Huskies lone home run. Casazza is batting .250 with six hits and four RBI.
The duo of freshman Marybeth Olson and senior Chelsea Eckert lead the way on the mound.
Olson is 2-1 currently with a 0.40 ERA and 21 strikeouts. In Olson's last start, she threw a complete game two-hit shutout against Robert Morris where she struck out nine batters.
Eckert is currently 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Eckert threw a four-hit shutout against Rider and struck out 11 batters.
Scouting Stony Brook:
The Seawolves are just beginning their season at the FGCU Four Point Invitational. This will be their first five games of the season.
Last season, the Seawolves went 18-29 overall with a 9-7 record in the AEC. The Seawolves are lead by head coach Megan T. Bryant.
Junior Irene Rivera led the Seawolves last year with 34 RBIs to go with her eight home runs.
Sophomore Melissa Rahrich comes back into the circle after 47 appearances last season. Rahrich was 12-12 with a 3.47 ERA while striking out 99 batters. Rahric also led the program at the dish registering a team-best .363 BA. In the batter's box, Rahrich batted .364 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs.
The interesting thing about Stony Brook is current FGCU assistant coach Jamie Kertes was under Bryant's wing as an assistant coach for two seasons.
Scouting Wright State:
This will be the first time the Eagles face the Raiders. The Raiders (0-5) recently competed in the Total Sports Control Invitational hosted by Depaul. They would fall to Depaul twice (0-4, 4-8), Loyola Chicago (1-9, six innings), Northern Colorado (3-12, six innings) and Fort Wayne (0-2).
Senior Honnah Susor leads the squad with a .357 BA, tallying five hits and one double.
Scouting SIU:
The Salukis (4-4) recently competed in the Gamecock Invitational, hosted by South Carolina. They would beat former A-SUN Conference member Mercer (6-1) and Georgetown (13-4 (5)) before falling to host South Carolina (0-2) and Michigan State (1-2).
Sophomore Maddy Vermejan leads a trio of .300 plus hitters going .450 at the plate. Vermejan was 1-for-2 in her last game.
Sophomore Katelyn Massa leads the team with 11 RBI. In her game against Georgetown, Massa hit two home runs with six RBI.
In the circle, junior Brianna Jones is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA in six appearances, tossing four complete games. In Jones' last game, she ended with a no decision after throwing three scoreless innings.
Series History:
The Eagles are currently 3-0 against the Huskies. Originally, both teams were supposed to play each other last season, but due to a snowstorm, they had to cancel. The last time both teams played was on March 18, 2014 where the Eagles swept the Huskies 3-1 and 7-0.
Against the Seawolves, FGCU leads the all-time series 3-1. The two teams last met back in 2016 when the Eagles and Seawolves combined for 23 runs with FGCU taking the final, 12-11.
FGCU leads the all-time series 2-1 against SIU as the Eagles took the last meeting back in 2016 by a score of 6-5.
The Eagles open their part of the tournament on Friday, February 23 as they play U-Conn at 4:45 P.M. and Stony Brook at 7 P.M and Wright State and Southern Illinois on Saturday, February 24 at the same times (4:45 P.M. Wright State, 7 P.M. Southern Illinois) before wrapping up the invitational with a final game against U-Conn on Sunday, February 25 at noon.
The games against Wright State and Southern Illinois are Greenouts while the final game against U-Conn is a Pinkout.
FGCU WBB vs. Kennesaw Recap
The FGCU women's basketball team (26-4, 12-1 A-SUN) was able to protect their nest as they clipped Kennesaw's wings (7-17, 3-10 A-SUN) with a score of 78-51. With the win, not only are the Eagles 22-2 against the Owls, but have clinched the No. 1 seed in the A-SUN Conference Tournament.
"For us, we wanted to make sure we were in position to get the No. 1 seed in the tournament," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "That was accomplished today. We definitely think it's a big advantage to be playing here, and we now know on Saturday we have a chance to clinch the Atlantic Sun title outright. That's another goal of ours, so hopefully we can take the next few days to get ourselves prepared for what will need to be a great effort against Stetson."
With senior Erica Nelson inactive, the Eagles changed their starting five lineup as redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka filled in for Nelson. This was Zderadicka's second start of the season.
Nonetheless, senior Rose Julien led the Eagles offensively from the starting lineup. Julien finished with 15 points (6-7 FG, 2-3 3FG, 1-2 FT), one rebound and two assists.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.
Zderadicka finished with 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-2 3FG), one rebound, two assist and two steals.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly had three points, 10 rebounds (four offensive, six defensive), one assist, one block and one steal. With her four offensive boards, Adderly now has 214 career offensive rebounds and remains fourth all-time. Adderly is 23 away from passing Robyn Swain (236) for third all-time. The Jupiter native, however, did pass Kaniesha Atwater (508) for sixth all-time in overall rebounds with 511. She is now 93 away from passing Courtney Chihil (603) for fifth all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had 12 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. With her 12 points, Grandijan has 1,187 career points and passed Shannon Murphy (1,185) for sixth all-time. In addition, Grandijan's three 3-pointers put her at 287 and is eight away from passing Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time in career 3-pointers. Also, the Cudahy, Wisconsin native's now has 476 career rebounds.
Off the bench, redshirt senior China Dow had 15 points (6-10 FG, 3-5 3FG), seven rebounds and four assists.
Redshirt senior Jessica Cattani had seven points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan had two points, one rebound, two assists and one steal.
Freshman Alyssa Blair had two points and two rebounds.
Freshman Sheahen Dowling contributed with one rebound.
For the Owls, freshman Kamiyah Street led the way with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Street also added three assists and one block.
Sophomore Carlotta Gianolla had 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Freshman Alexis Poole had nine points, five rebounds and one steal.
Redshirt senior Clara Young had five points, three rebounds and three assists.
Redshirt sophomore Alexandra Landby contributed with two rebounds.
Off the Owls bench, freshman Breanna Hoover had three points, one rebound and one assist. Hoover was the only reserve player to score in the game.
Junior Janae Omusi contributed with three rebounds, junior Iceis Walker contributed with two rebounds and one assist, freshman Lexi Mann contributed with one rebound and one assist and freshman Caroline Dan contributed with one rebound.
The Eagles wrap up their season with one final road game against Stetson on Saturday, February 24 at 1 P.M.
"For us, we wanted to make sure we were in position to get the No. 1 seed in the tournament," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "That was accomplished today. We definitely think it's a big advantage to be playing here, and we now know on Saturday we have a chance to clinch the Atlantic Sun title outright. That's another goal of ours, so hopefully we can take the next few days to get ourselves prepared for what will need to be a great effort against Stetson."
With senior Erica Nelson inactive, the Eagles changed their starting five lineup as redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka filled in for Nelson. This was Zderadicka's second start of the season.
Nonetheless, senior Rose Julien led the Eagles offensively from the starting lineup. Julien finished with 15 points (6-7 FG, 2-3 3FG, 1-2 FT), one rebound and two assists.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.
Zderadicka finished with 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-2 3FG), one rebound, two assist and two steals.
Sophomore Tytionia Adderly had three points, 10 rebounds (four offensive, six defensive), one assist, one block and one steal. With her four offensive boards, Adderly now has 214 career offensive rebounds and remains fourth all-time. Adderly is 23 away from passing Robyn Swain (236) for third all-time. The Jupiter native, however, did pass Kaniesha Atwater (508) for sixth all-time in overall rebounds with 511. She is now 93 away from passing Courtney Chihil (603) for fifth all-time.
Redshirt senior Taylor Grandijan had 12 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. With her 12 points, Grandijan has 1,187 career points and passed Shannon Murphy (1,185) for sixth all-time. In addition, Grandijan's three 3-pointers put her at 287 and is eight away from passing Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time in career 3-pointers. Also, the Cudahy, Wisconsin native's now has 476 career rebounds.
Off the bench, redshirt senior China Dow had 15 points (6-10 FG, 3-5 3FG), seven rebounds and four assists.
Redshirt senior Jessica Cattani had seven points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan had two points, one rebound, two assists and one steal.
Freshman Alyssa Blair had two points and two rebounds.
Freshman Sheahen Dowling contributed with one rebound.
For the Owls, freshman Kamiyah Street led the way with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Street also added three assists and one block.
Sophomore Carlotta Gianolla had 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Freshman Alexis Poole had nine points, five rebounds and one steal.
Redshirt senior Clara Young had five points, three rebounds and three assists.
Redshirt sophomore Alexandra Landby contributed with two rebounds.
Off the Owls bench, freshman Breanna Hoover had three points, one rebound and one assist. Hoover was the only reserve player to score in the game.
Junior Janae Omusi contributed with three rebounds, junior Iceis Walker contributed with two rebounds and one assist, freshman Lexi Mann contributed with one rebound and one assist and freshman Caroline Dan contributed with one rebound.
The Eagles wrap up their season with one final road game against Stetson on Saturday, February 24 at 1 P.M.
FGCU Softball vs. Oakland Recap
With their perfect record on the line and already the best start in program history, the FGCU softball team (8-0) kept their winning streak going with a sweep over Oakland (2-3). Both games featured good pitching with poor defense on both sides, but the Eagles were able to pick up 7-1 and 6-5 wins over the Golden Grizzles.
Game One:
Head coach Dave Deiros sent sophomore junior Riley Randolph to mound while Oakland head coach Lauren Cognigni sent sophomore Kayla Marburger to counter.
The Eagles got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first. Senior Kelsey Huff would draw a lead-off walk. After senior Natalie Lopez hit an infield single, Huff would score on a throwing throwing error by freshman Madison Jones while Lopez advanced to third to give FGCU a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles would tack another run in the second. After back-to-back singles from sophomore Kate Kelly and Huff before Lopez fouled out, Cognigni would pull Marburger out of the game and send freshman Emily Karas to the mound. Junior Racquel Fournet would reach on a field error from sophomore Jamie Squires to load the bases for junior Brooke Clemens. Clemens would send Kelly home with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 FGCU.
The Golden Grizzlies got their first base runner in the fourth on an and their first hit from Jessie Munson. Oakland was able to cash in to trim the margin to 2-1 after a sacrifice fly from junior Brittney Miller to bring in freshman Cammie Brummitt.
Despite giving up the one run in the fourth, Randolph remained calm, cooled and collected.
Going into the fifth inning, the Eagles were able to break it open the runs as they batted around. Kelly would start with a lead-off single before advancing to third on a throwing error. Huff would then send Kelly home before reaching second on a fielding error. Lopez would then send Huff to third after hitting a single before stealing second. After Fournet grounded out, Clemens would send both seniors home with a two-RBI double before freshman Ahnie Jumper came in to pinch run for Clemens. After senior Brittany McGuire reached on fielding error before freshman Haley Morrell came in to pinch run, senior Ashley Swiderski would hit an infield single to load the bases.
Deiros would have junior Bri Bennett come in as the DH. On the first pitch, the Lake Sumter transfer would send a single up the middle bringing in Jumper and Morrell to make it 7-1. This signaled the end for Karas as Cognigni would send junior Hayley Bartholomew to the mound who was able to escape the rest of the inning.
An unfazed Randolph would clean the sixth inning with ease before freshman Marissa Mesiemore closed out the seventh inning.
Randolph would earn her third win after throwing six innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out six batters.
“It was real team effort.” Randolph said. “I just put the ball in play and allowed our defense to back me up. I wasn’t too worried about blowing it by people and just let my defense work.”
Mesimore threw one scoreless inning while striking out one batter.
Lopez (2-for-3, one run scored, one stolen base), Swiderski (2-for-3) and Kelly (2-for-2) had two hits each.
Clemens went 1-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.
Huff (1-for-2, one RBI, two runs scored, one walk) and Bennett (1-for-2, two RBI) had one hit each.
Munson was the only Golden Grizzly with a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 while junior Kelsie Swanson was 1-for-2. Munson and Swanson were the only ones with at least one hit.
Marburger was credited with her first loss of the season after throwing 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking one batter and striking out one.
Karas gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits in two innings.
Bartholomew threw 1.2 scoreless innings while walking two and striking out one.
Game Two:
Deiros would send sophomore Morgan White to the mound while Cognigni sent senior Haley Zemmer to counter.
Both White and Zemmer were in a pitcher's battle until the bottom of the third inning. After senior Bri Innamorato reached first on a throwing error before advancing to third, Lopez would send Innamorato home with an RBI single. After a single from Fournet, Clemens would send Lopez home with an RBI single of her own to make it 2-0 FGCU.
Before McGuire's at-bat, freshman Riley Withrow would come in to pinch run for Clemens, but Fournet would then be called out after being picked off at home. McGuire would then draw a walk for Swiderksi. With a 2-1 count, the Naples local would clock a two-RBI triple and send Withrow and McGuire home to make it a 4-0 lead.
The Golden Grizzlies got right back into the game at the top of the fourth. After a lead-off single from Lauren Pletscher before advancing to second off of a ground out and then third from a single off the bat of junior Jackie Reitmeyer, freshman Lauryn Debono would send Pletscher home while reaching base from a McGuire fielding error. After Brummitt was intentionally walk, this signaled the end for White and Deiros would have Mesiemore come in for relief.
Munson would then drive Reitmeyer home off of another McGuire fielding error. From there freshman Natalie Herrington would clock a two-RBI single to tie the game at 4-4 before Miller struck out to end the top half of the inning.
The Eagles would regain the lead in the bottom half of the fourth. Freshman Farley Callaghan would start with a lead-off single before Kelly came in to pinch run. Kelly would then steal second before advancing to third on a passed ball. After Innamorato struck out, Huff would send Kelly home with an RBI single down the middle to give the Eagles a 5-4 lead.
“It feels pretty awesome,” Huff said. “I think it’s the best start we’ve ever had. We just got to keep it up, be consistent and just keep it going.”
White and Zemmer would each earn no-decisions. White threw 3.2 innings, giving up four unearned runs on four hits while walking and striking out three batters each while Zemmer threw 2.2 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits while walking and striking out one batter each.
Mesiemore would earn her fourth win after throwing 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one batter and striking out three.
Freshman Chelsea Wiggins, who came in for relief in the third inning, would be credited with her second loss after giving up one run on four hits while striking out four batters in 3.1 innings.
Bauman would earn her sixth save of the season after throwing two-thirds of the seventh inning.
“I think our pitching was exemplary all day long,” Deiros said. I can’t say enough about the ways our pitchers are throwing the ball and commanding the zone [by] getting ahead hitters and really exercising their will. We’ll keep at it. We’re still 8-0. The sign of a good team is when you don’t play your best and come away with a couple of victories.”
Up Next:
The Eagles will host the FGCU Four Points by Shearton Invitational this upcoming weekend where five games will be played starting with UConn on Friday, Feb. 23 at 4:45 P.M. The Eagles will also welcome Stony Brook, Wright State and Southern Illinois to the invitational.
Game One:
Head coach Dave Deiros sent sophomore junior Riley Randolph to mound while Oakland head coach Lauren Cognigni sent sophomore Kayla Marburger to counter.
The Eagles got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first. Senior Kelsey Huff would draw a lead-off walk. After senior Natalie Lopez hit an infield single, Huff would score on a throwing throwing error by freshman Madison Jones while Lopez advanced to third to give FGCU a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles would tack another run in the second. After back-to-back singles from sophomore Kate Kelly and Huff before Lopez fouled out, Cognigni would pull Marburger out of the game and send freshman Emily Karas to the mound. Junior Racquel Fournet would reach on a field error from sophomore Jamie Squires to load the bases for junior Brooke Clemens. Clemens would send Kelly home with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 FGCU.
The Golden Grizzlies got their first base runner in the fourth on an and their first hit from Jessie Munson. Oakland was able to cash in to trim the margin to 2-1 after a sacrifice fly from junior Brittney Miller to bring in freshman Cammie Brummitt.
Despite giving up the one run in the fourth, Randolph remained calm, cooled and collected.
Going into the fifth inning, the Eagles were able to break it open the runs as they batted around. Kelly would start with a lead-off single before advancing to third on a throwing error. Huff would then send Kelly home before reaching second on a fielding error. Lopez would then send Huff to third after hitting a single before stealing second. After Fournet grounded out, Clemens would send both seniors home with a two-RBI double before freshman Ahnie Jumper came in to pinch run for Clemens. After senior Brittany McGuire reached on fielding error before freshman Haley Morrell came in to pinch run, senior Ashley Swiderski would hit an infield single to load the bases.
Deiros would have junior Bri Bennett come in as the DH. On the first pitch, the Lake Sumter transfer would send a single up the middle bringing in Jumper and Morrell to make it 7-1. This signaled the end for Karas as Cognigni would send junior Hayley Bartholomew to the mound who was able to escape the rest of the inning.
An unfazed Randolph would clean the sixth inning with ease before freshman Marissa Mesiemore closed out the seventh inning.
Randolph would earn her third win after throwing six innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out six batters.
“It was real team effort.” Randolph said. “I just put the ball in play and allowed our defense to back me up. I wasn’t too worried about blowing it by people and just let my defense work.”
Mesimore threw one scoreless inning while striking out one batter.
Lopez (2-for-3, one run scored, one stolen base), Swiderski (2-for-3) and Kelly (2-for-2) had two hits each.
Clemens went 1-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.
Huff (1-for-2, one RBI, two runs scored, one walk) and Bennett (1-for-2, two RBI) had one hit each.
Munson was the only Golden Grizzly with a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 while junior Kelsie Swanson was 1-for-2. Munson and Swanson were the only ones with at least one hit.
Marburger was credited with her first loss of the season after throwing 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking one batter and striking out one.
Karas gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits in two innings.
Bartholomew threw 1.2 scoreless innings while walking two and striking out one.
Game Two:
Deiros would send sophomore Morgan White to the mound while Cognigni sent senior Haley Zemmer to counter.
Both White and Zemmer were in a pitcher's battle until the bottom of the third inning. After senior Bri Innamorato reached first on a throwing error before advancing to third, Lopez would send Innamorato home with an RBI single. After a single from Fournet, Clemens would send Lopez home with an RBI single of her own to make it 2-0 FGCU.
Before McGuire's at-bat, freshman Riley Withrow would come in to pinch run for Clemens, but Fournet would then be called out after being picked off at home. McGuire would then draw a walk for Swiderksi. With a 2-1 count, the Naples local would clock a two-RBI triple and send Withrow and McGuire home to make it a 4-0 lead.
The Golden Grizzlies got right back into the game at the top of the fourth. After a lead-off single from Lauren Pletscher before advancing to second off of a ground out and then third from a single off the bat of junior Jackie Reitmeyer, freshman Lauryn Debono would send Pletscher home while reaching base from a McGuire fielding error. After Brummitt was intentionally walk, this signaled the end for White and Deiros would have Mesiemore come in for relief.
Munson would then drive Reitmeyer home off of another McGuire fielding error. From there freshman Natalie Herrington would clock a two-RBI single to tie the game at 4-4 before Miller struck out to end the top half of the inning.
The Eagles would regain the lead in the bottom half of the fourth. Freshman Farley Callaghan would start with a lead-off single before Kelly came in to pinch run. Kelly would then steal second before advancing to third on a passed ball. After Innamorato struck out, Huff would send Kelly home with an RBI single down the middle to give the Eagles a 5-4 lead.
“It feels pretty awesome,” Huff said. “I think it’s the best start we’ve ever had. We just got to keep it up, be consistent and just keep it going.”
Mesiemore seemed unfazed after giving up the four runs, but in the fifth and sixth inning, she continued on until the seventh inning. Fellow freshman Taylor Bauman would come in for a save situation and was able to close the door with ease.
White and Zemmer would each earn no-decisions. White threw 3.2 innings, giving up four unearned runs on four hits while walking and striking out three batters each while Zemmer threw 2.2 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits while walking and striking out one batter each.
Mesiemore would earn her fourth win after throwing 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one batter and striking out three.
Freshman Chelsea Wiggins, who came in for relief in the third inning, would be credited with her second loss after giving up one run on four hits while striking out four batters in 3.1 innings.
Bauman would earn her sixth save of the season after throwing two-thirds of the seventh inning.
“I think our pitching was exemplary all day long,” Deiros said. I can’t say enough about the ways our pitchers are throwing the ball and commanding the zone [by] getting ahead hitters and really exercising their will. We’ll keep at it. We’re still 8-0. The sign of a good team is when you don’t play your best and come away with a couple of victories.”
Up Next:
The Eagles will host the FGCU Four Points by Shearton Invitational this upcoming weekend where five games will be played starting with UConn on Friday, Feb. 23 at 4:45 P.M. The Eagles will also welcome Stony Brook, Wright State and Southern Illinois to the invitational.
FGCU WBB vs Lipscomb Recap
The FGCU women's basketball team (25-4, 11-1 A-SUN) managed to have no problem as they tamed the Lipscomb Lady Bison (10-17, 6-6 A-SUN) by a score of 88-52. With the win, the Eagles are 22-0 against the Lady Bison.
Prior to the game starting, the five senior players were recognized as part of their senior night: Jessica Cattani, Erica Nelson, China Dow, Taylor Grandijan and Rose Julien along with their student manager Dan Hansen.
In addition, the lineup featured all five seniors in the starting rotation.
In the first quarter, the Eagles got off to a hot start after three straight three-pointers out of four total from Cattani. Julien would follow with back-to-back threes of her own and finished with three in the first, including a buzzer beater as the quarter ended.
“It was a fast paced game, a lot of scoring in the first quarter,” FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. “I think we gave up five 3-pointers in the first quarter. Fortunately, we were shooting the ball well, too. Then, I thought our defense after the first quarter got a lot better. We had fewer miscommunications, so we didn’t give up quite as many 3-pointers. We played with good discipline.”
From there until the end of the game, the Lady Bison would have no chance to catch up.
In the end, Cattani led the way in points. Cattani finished with 20 points (6-11 FG, 6-10 3FG, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Nelson was held to seven minutes after leaving the game with an injury and did not return. Nelson had one rebound and two assists in the game.
Dow had nine points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Julien had 17 points (5-12 FG, 5-12 3FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and two assists.
Grandijan,who is now the all-time leader in games played (142), finished with 12 points all from the 3-point line. Grandijan’s 12 points put her at 1,175 career points where she is now 11 points away from passing Shannon Murphy (1,185) for sixth all-time. Grandijan (284) is also 11 away from passing Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time in career 3-pointers.
Off the bench, sophomore Tytionia Adderly had five points, 14 rebounds (5 offensive, nine defensive) and two assists. Adderly's 14 rebounds put her at 501 career total rebounds and is eight away from passing Atwater for sixth all-time. In addition, Adderly's five offensive rebounds put her at 210 career offensive rebounds. The Jupiter native is 27 away from passing Robyn Swain (236) for third all-time.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had 10 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had four points, one rebounds, six assists and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan had nine points, one rebound and one assist.
Freshman Alyssa Blair had two points, two assists and one steal.
Sophomore Samantha Kisiel contributed with one rebound.
For the Lady Bison, senior Loren Cagle had 10 points, two rebounds and two assists. Cagle was the only Lady Bison in the starting lineup to score in double-digits.
Freshman Taylor Clarke had eight points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Sophomore Lauren Rau had seven points, one rebound, three assists and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Emily Kmec had six points, four rebounds and one steal.
Senior Kennedy Potts had two points and one rebound.
Off the Lady Bison bench, sophomore Kaylee Cotton had nine points, three rebounds and one assist.
Sophomore Lexi Manos had six points, one rebound and two assists.
Senior Loshaveon Jones and sophomore Carleigh Short had two points, one rebounds and one steal each.
Senior Auriana Broughton contributed with two rebounds and one assist, senior Meredith Lovelady contributed with one assist and senior Riley Northway contributed with two rebounds and one steal.
Up next, the Eagles conclude with their last home game of the season as they play Kennesaw State on Monday, February 19 at 7 P.M.
Prior to the game starting, the five senior players were recognized as part of their senior night: Jessica Cattani, Erica Nelson, China Dow, Taylor Grandijan and Rose Julien along with their student manager Dan Hansen.
In addition, the lineup featured all five seniors in the starting rotation.
In the first quarter, the Eagles got off to a hot start after three straight three-pointers out of four total from Cattani. Julien would follow with back-to-back threes of her own and finished with three in the first, including a buzzer beater as the quarter ended.
“It was a fast paced game, a lot of scoring in the first quarter,” FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. “I think we gave up five 3-pointers in the first quarter. Fortunately, we were shooting the ball well, too. Then, I thought our defense after the first quarter got a lot better. We had fewer miscommunications, so we didn’t give up quite as many 3-pointers. We played with good discipline.”
From there until the end of the game, the Lady Bison would have no chance to catch up.
In the end, Cattani led the way in points. Cattani finished with 20 points (6-11 FG, 6-10 3FG, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Nelson was held to seven minutes after leaving the game with an injury and did not return. Nelson had one rebound and two assists in the game.
Dow had nine points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Julien had 17 points (5-12 FG, 5-12 3FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and two assists.
Grandijan,who is now the all-time leader in games played (142), finished with 12 points all from the 3-point line. Grandijan’s 12 points put her at 1,175 career points where she is now 11 points away from passing Shannon Murphy (1,185) for sixth all-time. Grandijan (284) is also 11 away from passing Whitney Knight (294) for second all-time in career 3-pointers.
Off the bench, sophomore Tytionia Adderly had five points, 14 rebounds (5 offensive, nine defensive) and two assists. Adderly's 14 rebounds put her at 501 career total rebounds and is eight away from passing Atwater for sixth all-time. In addition, Adderly's five offensive rebounds put her at 210 career offensive rebounds. The Jupiter native is 27 away from passing Robyn Swain (236) for third all-time.
Sophomore Nasrin Ulel had 10 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Redshirt junior Lisa Zderadicka had four points, one rebounds, six assists and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan had nine points, one rebound and one assist.
Freshman Alyssa Blair had two points, two assists and one steal.
Sophomore Samantha Kisiel contributed with one rebound.
For the Lady Bison, senior Loren Cagle had 10 points, two rebounds and two assists. Cagle was the only Lady Bison in the starting lineup to score in double-digits.
Freshman Taylor Clarke had eight points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Sophomore Lauren Rau had seven points, one rebound, three assists and one steal.
Redshirt freshman Emily Kmec had six points, four rebounds and one steal.
Senior Kennedy Potts had two points and one rebound.
Off the Lady Bison bench, sophomore Kaylee Cotton had nine points, three rebounds and one assist.
Sophomore Lexi Manos had six points, one rebound and two assists.
Senior Loshaveon Jones and sophomore Carleigh Short had two points, one rebounds and one steal each.
Senior Auriana Broughton contributed with two rebounds and one assist, senior Meredith Lovelady contributed with one assist and senior Riley Northway contributed with two rebounds and one steal.
Up next, the Eagles conclude with their last home game of the season as they play Kennesaw State on Monday, February 19 at 7 P.M.
FGCU WTEN vs. MTSU Recap
The FGCU women’s tennis team (2-2) competed in their second home matchup and defeated Middle Tennessee State (7-4) 5-2. With the win, FGCU is 1-1 against MTSU.
“The girls competed hard in singles today,” said head coach Courtney Vernon. “They were focused on bringing a lot of energy and it has showed in every match. I am thankful for this group and their commitment to keep working on their goals. We’re excited to get back to work on Monday in preparation for Georgia State.”
The Eagles lost all three doubles matches in the beginning as the sophomore duo of Sofia Perez and Bridget Forster would fall to junior Costanza Magazzini and sophomore Marta Peris Herrero by a score of 1-6.
Junior Julia Ascua and sophomore Maja Ornberg would fall to the junior duo of Kim Kermet and Luisa Zirilli by a score of 5-7 before junior Patricia Villar and freshman Madison Gallegos fell 3-6 to freshman Lee Barnard and senior Maria Josefina Zehnder.
Hoping to bounce back in singles, Ascua would tie the matchup with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Zehnder.
Forster would follow with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Zirilli to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
After Ornberg defeated Magazzini 6-3, 6-2 to make it 3-1, junior Laura Falcto Font would seal the fourth point with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Herrero to give the Eagles the win.
Gallegos, who was named A-SUN Player of the Week, would fall to Kermet 3-6, 3-6 for the Raiders’ second point before Perez gave the Eagles their fifth point with a 6-4, 2-6, 10-6 win over sophomore Lidia Burrows.
The Eagles remain in action at home as they face Georgia State on Friday, Feb. 23 at 10 A.M. as part of their six-matchup homestead.
“The girls competed hard in singles today,” said head coach Courtney Vernon. “They were focused on bringing a lot of energy and it has showed in every match. I am thankful for this group and their commitment to keep working on their goals. We’re excited to get back to work on Monday in preparation for Georgia State.”
The Eagles lost all three doubles matches in the beginning as the sophomore duo of Sofia Perez and Bridget Forster would fall to junior Costanza Magazzini and sophomore Marta Peris Herrero by a score of 1-6.
Junior Julia Ascua and sophomore Maja Ornberg would fall to the junior duo of Kim Kermet and Luisa Zirilli by a score of 5-7 before junior Patricia Villar and freshman Madison Gallegos fell 3-6 to freshman Lee Barnard and senior Maria Josefina Zehnder.
Hoping to bounce back in singles, Ascua would tie the matchup with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Zehnder.
Forster would follow with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Zirilli to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
After Ornberg defeated Magazzini 6-3, 6-2 to make it 3-1, junior Laura Falcto Font would seal the fourth point with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Herrero to give the Eagles the win.
Gallegos, who was named A-SUN Player of the Week, would fall to Kermet 3-6, 3-6 for the Raiders’ second point before Perez gave the Eagles their fifth point with a 6-4, 2-6, 10-6 win over sophomore Lidia Burrows.
The Eagles remain in action at home as they face Georgia State on Friday, Feb. 23 at 10 A.M. as part of their six-matchup homestead.
FGCU MBB vs. Lipscomb Recap: Senior Day
The FGCU men’s basketball team (20-10, 11-2 A-SUN) lost its second straight game in A-SUN Conference play as they fell 87-90 to Lipscomb (19-9, 9-4 A-SUN) on Senior Day. With the loss, the Eagles are now 9-12 against the Bison and split the season series as a result. FGCU remains the holder of the A-SUN Conference season championship and maintains the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. Lipscomb has been named the No. 2 seed in the tournament and will face No. 7 seed Stetson in the quarterfinals.
Before the game started, the four senior players Josh Ko, Brandon Goodwin, Antravious Simmons and Christian Terrell, as well as the team managers were recognized for what they have done for the team.
The Eagles would fall in the first half by a score of 31-38, but fought hard for a comeback in the second half. Despite a strong second half, the Eagles could not finish in the end. After Goodwin made three free throws to cut the deficit to three points, Terrell attempted to tie the game with a three pointer.
“If the first thing we’re talking about (in the postgame press conference) is the amount of points we gave up, that’s not a good thing,” stated FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. “We got ourselves in a hole, but a lot of that was actually because of our offense and the ball not moving enough. But for them to shoot 57 percent from the floor is unacceptable, and that needs to get corrected immediately.”
Goodwin led the team with 28 points and a team-leading five steals. Terrell would finish with 22 points, three rebounds and three assists. Three players had four steals in the game as well: Terrell, redshirt junior Zach Johnson and redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst.
FGCU concludes the regular season at Stetson (12-18, 4-9 A-SUN) next Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team. The Eagles defeated the Hatters 90-52 at Alico Arena in the league opener in early January.
Following the end of game with Stetson, FGCU will begin its quest for a third-straight A-SUN Tournament Championship by hosting a quarterfinal matchup on Monday, Feb. 26 as the No. 1 seed in conference. Based off the results earlier on Saturday, the Eagles know they will be hosting No. 8 USC Upstate (7-23, 2-11 A-SUN).
Before the game started, the four senior players Josh Ko, Brandon Goodwin, Antravious Simmons and Christian Terrell, as well as the team managers were recognized for what they have done for the team.
The Eagles would fall in the first half by a score of 31-38, but fought hard for a comeback in the second half. Despite a strong second half, the Eagles could not finish in the end. After Goodwin made three free throws to cut the deficit to three points, Terrell attempted to tie the game with a three pointer.
“If the first thing we’re talking about (in the postgame press conference) is the amount of points we gave up, that’s not a good thing,” stated FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. “We got ourselves in a hole, but a lot of that was actually because of our offense and the ball not moving enough. But for them to shoot 57 percent from the floor is unacceptable, and that needs to get corrected immediately.”
Goodwin led the team with 28 points and a team-leading five steals. Terrell would finish with 22 points, three rebounds and three assists. Three players had four steals in the game as well: Terrell, redshirt junior Zach Johnson and redshirt sophomore Brady Ernst.
FGCU concludes the regular season at Stetson (12-18, 4-9 A-SUN) next Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team. The Eagles defeated the Hatters 90-52 at Alico Arena in the league opener in early January.
Following the end of game with Stetson, FGCU will begin its quest for a third-straight A-SUN Tournament Championship by hosting a quarterfinal matchup on Monday, Feb. 26 as the No. 1 seed in conference. Based off the results earlier on Saturday, the Eagles know they will be hosting No. 8 USC Upstate (7-23, 2-11 A-SUN).
FGCU Baseball vs Eastern Michigan Recap: Season Openers
In the "Battle of the Eagles", the FGCU baseball team (4-0) opened their season with a sweep against Eastern Michigan (0-4). This was the first time FGCU went 4-0 since 2008 as they managed to win 6-5 in game one and 13-3 in game two as part of a doubleheader, 12-11 for game three and 8-7 in game four. With the wins, FGCU are now 5-0 against Eastern Michigan. In addition, games one, three and four were wins in the bottom of the ninth.
Game One:
In game one, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett sent redshirt junior Josh Dye to pitch the opening game while Eastern Michigan interim head coach Eric Roof sent junior Davis Feldman to counter.
In the first inning, Dye was off to a rocky start. After giving up a single to junior Max Schuemann. After Schuemann advance to third on a failed pickoff attempt from Dye, sophomore Zachary Owings would bring in Schuemann on a groundout for the first run of the game.
With the score 1-0 in favor of EMU, FGCU remained scoreless until the bottom of the third. Sophomore Jake Smith would start with a lead-off single. After freshman Christian Proffitt, who made his debut, drew a walk, redshirt senior Gage Morey would get hit by a pitch to load the bases for redshirt sophomore Kohl Gilmore. Gilmore, who made his debut after spending one season at NJCAA Indian River State, would drive in Smith in with an RBI single for FGCU's first run. Senior Eli Lovell would bring in FGCU's second run by bringing in Proffitt on a sacrifice fly.
The runs did not stop for FGCU as sophomore Alex Brait would hit an RBI single that brought in Morey for the third run before sophomore Richie Garcia came to the plate. The former A-SUN Freshman of the Year smacked a two-run triple to bring in Brait and Kilmore.
Of course when Garcia is coming to the plate, all the fans and Dirty Birds in attendance clap to his walk-up song "Bailar" by Elvis Crespo because it's so catchy. Garcia did give me credit for starting it up.
FGCU remained ahead until the seventh inning changed. After Dye was pulled, Tollett brought senior Christian Townsend to pitch in relief for Dye. Townsend would end up giving up two runs in a third of an inning.
Tollet would then bring in sophomore Sebastian Gruszecki to pitch a third of an inning before redshirt senior Parker Hamilton would step in to finish the end of the seventh. Hamilton struggled in the eighth as he gave up the tying run after freshman Nate Jones hit an RBI single to bring in sophomore Nick Jones.
After Hamilton gave up the tying run, Tollett made his big move and had redshirt senior Kenton Hering finish the eighth and indeed he did as Hering got junior Cameron Cruz to strikeout.
By the ninth inning, FGCU found it's spark to win the game. Morey would begin with a lead-off single. After Gilmore walked, Lovell would reach on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Brait would seal the deal with a walk-off bases-loaded single and bring in Morey for the win.
Dye would end up with a no-decision after throwing six innings, giving up two unearned runs on four hits while striking out three batters.
Hering would get the win after throwing 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one batter.
Feldman would also be credited with a no-decision after throwing six innings while giving up five runs on six hits, walking three batters and striking out four.
Senior Justin McMurtrey was credited with the loss after giving up the game-winning run on two hits while walking one batter.
Brait went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
Morey was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk.
Garcia was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
In his debut, Gilmore finished 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI.
Proffitt would end up with three walks along with a run scored for his debut.
Junior Keith Stevens also made his debut for the team at first base. After joining FGCU as a double transfer from FAMU and NJCAA Hillsborough Community College (HCC), Stevens went 0-for-3 with a walk.
Junior Eric Gonzalez made his debut as a pinch runner after Stevens drew a walk. Gonzalez spent the first two seasons at NJCAA ASA-Miami.
“It’s been a grind since August and six months in, we’re finally in it,” said Garcia. “This has been the moment I have been waiting for: to hit a triple in my second at bat.”
Game Two:
For game two, Tollett would send redshirt senior Mario Leon to the mound while Roof sent senior Brad Allen to counter.
Leon had no problem at the top of the first. Despite giving up a double and a fielder's choice, the Naples native was able to strike out two batters.
FGCU would strike first in game two. Sophomore Marc Coffers would start off with a single to left. Morey would send Coffers to second after grounding out before Gilmore drove Coffers in on a single for the first run of game two.
After Lovell and Garcia drew back-to-back walks, senior Spencer Levine was hit by a pitch and brought in Gilmore for the second run. Smith would bring in Lovell and Garcia to make it 3-0 on a bases-loaded single.
Eastern Michigan was held scoreless by Leon until the top of third inning when Schuemann hit a single, steal second and advance to third before scoring EMU's first run.
FGCU would add three more runs in the fourth inning to make up for the EMU run. After back-to-back singles from Smith and Proffitt, Coffers would single and send Smith and Proffitt home. Coffers would score the seventh run after Morey hit a fielder's choice.
By the fifth inning, FGCU continued to add more runs to the mix. After a Lovell single, Brait would line a triple and bring in Lovell before scoring on an RBI groundout from Garcia.
At the top of the sixth, freshman Bryan Wilcox would make his collegiate debut and come in relief for Leon and strike out two of his three batters.
FGCU would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Gilmore would start with a two-out single. After redshirt junior Jay Hayes came in as a pinch runner for Gilmore and Lovell drew a walk, Brait would would hit a double and bring in Hayes and Lovell to make it 11-1 FGCU.
FGCU would add one more run to the mix in the eighth. Hayes would start with a two-out single. After Hayes advanced to second on a wild pitch, Lovell would bring Hayes in on a double to make it 12-1 in favor of FGCU.
FGCU would make another pitching change as sophomore Matt Rumpf would enter the game. After giving up two runs in the game, Rumpf was able to get out of the ninth inning for an FGCU win.
"A 2-0 start is what we should do and what we expect to do," said head coach Dave Tollett on games one and two. "It was not pretty at all but we played hard, we played with energy, and as I said earlier before this game, this team is going to get better as the year goes on. I'd rather get better in the win column than the loss column – it makes practice much more fun Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We had guys go out there and compete. I thought our starting pitching, (Josh) Dye and (Mario) Leon, did a great job. And in the second game (Bryan) Wilcox got in the ballgame and did absolutely fantastic. We had guys swing the bat well – Brait, that guy is on fire right now. There's some good things and some bad things but the bottom line is it goes in the left-handed column and we're undefeated."
“It’s just a great feeling,” Garcia added. “It’s a new group of guys. We lost a lot last year, so to start 2-0 on a Friday is amazing. It is an amazing feeling.”
Leon would be credited with the win after throwing five innings and giving up one run on three hits while walking one batter and striking out six.
“I thought I threw okay,” Leon said. “If I had to work on something, it would be minimizing pitch and not be so high. My team is going to need me to go deeper into ballgames, but I thought I did a good job of minimizing some of the mistakes I made early on.”
Wilcox threw three innings and gave up one run on one hit while walking three batters and striking out six while Rumpf threw one inning giving up one run on two hits with one walk.
Smith, Brait, Lovell, Gilmore and Coffers had two hits each. Smith was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, Brait was 2-for-5 with three RBIs, Lovell was 2-for-3 with three runs, an RBI and two walks, Gilmore was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, and Coffers was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI
Allen was credited with the loss after throwing four innings, and giving up nine runs (six earned) on eight hits while walking two batters and striking out four.
Junior Mitchell Sparks and freshman Dillon Schroeder also pitched for EMU. Sparks gave up two runs on three hits while walking one batter and striking out three in three innings while Schroeder gave up one run on two hits in one inning.
Game Three:
For game three, Tollett sent senior Peyton Gray to pitch against junior Jackson Shaver.
In the first inning, EMU would score the first run. After striking out sophomore Drake Peggs and hitting junior Max Schuemann before picking him off, Gray gave up a solo home run to sophomore Zachary Owings before striking out junior John Rensel Jr. to end the top half of the inning.
At the bottom of the first, FGCU would tie the game as Gilmore hit a solo shot to right center. It was Gilmore's first home run in an FGCU uniform.
At the bottom of the second, FGCU would take the lead. After Garcia was hit by a pitch, Hayes would drive a double, sending Garcia to third. Smith would then send Garcia home with an RBI single and send Hayes to third for Proffitt. Proffitt would send Hayes home with a sacrifice bunt and move Smith to second. From there, Coffers would send Smith home with an RBI single for the final run of the second inning.
At the top of the third, EMU would cut FGCU's lead to one run after Owings sent Peggs home with an RBI single before Schuemann scored on a wild pitch from a failed pickoff attempt.
FGCU was quick to retaliate and increased the lead at the bottom of the third. After Lovell hit a one-out single, Garcia would smack an RBI double to left center, sending Lovell home.
At the top of the fourth, Tollett sent Hamilton to come in to pitch for Gray. After getting Nick Jones to strikeout and Nate Jones to popout, redshirt freshman Jeff Timko and sophomore Devin Hager would hit two-out back-to-back single to start an EMU rally before junior Cameron Cruz sent Timko home for EMU's fourth run of the game signaling the end for Hamilton.
Tollett then sent sophomore Trey Vickery to the mound to replace Hamilton, but it was not very effective as Hager score the game-tying run while Cruz stole second before advancing to third on a Brait throwing error before Peggs brought in Cruz with an RBI single to give EMU the lead.
Tollett would make a third pitching change and send Gruszecki to the mound, but once again, it seemed ineffective as Schuemann hit an RBI double, sending Peggs home.
Tollett would make a fourth pitching change and send in junior Justin Gill to the mound. Gill was making his debut after spending the first two seasons at NJCAA Polk State College. After Schuemann stole third, Owings would hit an RBI single, sending Schuemann home before stealing. Gill was able to strikeout Rensel Jr. to end the top half of the fourth inning.
With the score 8-5 in favor of EMU, in the bottom of the fifth, Brait would hit his first home run of the season with a solo shot to right to make it 8-6 EMU, signaling that FGCU still had fight left in them.
At the top of the sixth, EMU would increase their lead to 10-6. After a Hager lead-off with a bunt single. After Gill got Cruz to strike out swinging, Hager would advance to second on a balk, something I have rarely seen. Peggs would reach first on a Garcia throwing error while Hager advanced to third before scoring EMU's ninth run of the game on a passed ball.
Tollettt kept Gill in the game. Owings would hit another RBI single sending Peggs home before Rensel Jr. struck out swinging for the third time in the game.
EMU remained ahead by a score of 10-6, but just because FGCU was down did not mean that they would give up in the bottom of the sixth. Before the Eagles batted, Roof sent freshman Luke McGuire to pitch for Shaver.
After Proffitt grounded out to start the bottom half, Coffers would begin with a one-out single before stealing second. After Morey walked, Coffers would steal third before Gilmore drew a walk to load the bases for Lovell. Lovell woud draw a walk sending Coffers home and reloading the bases.
Wood would make another pitching change and send freshman Scott Granzotto to the mound. Brait would hit into a fielder's choice and send Morey home to cut the EMU lead. Garcia would follow with an RBI double sending Gilmore to make it 10-9 still in EMU's favor.
Gill remained in the game and held EMU scoreless at the top of the seventh despite giving up three singles.
Wood would make another pitching change in the bottom of the seventh and send senior Justin McMurtrey to mound. McMurtrey would throw a scoreless inning as well.
At the top of the eighth, Hering was sent to the mound after Gill gave up a lead-off double to Peggs. Hering would get Schuemann to ground out before Owings grounded out, sending Peggs to score the 11th EMU run. After giving up a two-out single to Rensel Jr, Hering was able to strikeout Nick Jones to end the top half of the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, FGCU would continue to fight. After Lovell reached on a fielder's choice, Brait would cut the EMU lead to one run, sending Lovell home with an RBI double.
After Hering held EMU scoreless at the top of the ninth, it all came down to one final push for FGCU. After a Hayes groundout to start the bottom half, Smith was hit by a pitch to start the rally. Levine would come in to pinch hit for Proffitt and hit a single to left sending Smith to second for Coffers before Gonzalez came in to pinch run. Coffers would tie the game at 10-10 with an RBI single, sending Smith home. Morey would be the saving grace and bring in Gonzalez with a game-winning RBI single.
“Marc told me before the inning it 7,8,9 then let’s do it,” Morey said. “I said all right, let’s do it. Either you’re going to do it or I’m going to do it, so it is going to be one of us.”
"It's huge. Anytime with a new team you can come from behind and win, it will be big for us down the road because we've done it, we've done it early," said Tollett on game three. "For me, with a young team, I just think it's a great thing. I thought if we could ever stop them, we could win the ballgame but we didn't stop them much today. Our offense, I believed if we could have got to Hering like we did it would give us a shot."
Both Gray and Shaver earned a no decision.
Gray threw three innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits while walking one batter and striking out five while Shaver threw five innings, giving up six runs on nine hits while striking out three batters.
Hering was credited with his second win of the season after throwing two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out two batters. The run Hering gave up was credited to Gill.
McMurtrey was credited with his second loss after throwing 2.1 innings, giving up three runs on five hits while striking out two batters.
Gill, in his debut, threw 3.1 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out four batters.
Coffers, Morey, Brait, Garcia, and Hayes had multi-hit games.
Coffers and Morey had three hits each. Coffers (3-for-6) had two RBIs, one run and two stolen bases while Morey (3-for-5) had one RBI, one run and one walk.
Brait, Garcia, and Hayes had two hits and a run each. Brait (2-for-5) had three RBIs and a run, Garcia (2-for-4) had two RBIs and a run, and Hayes (2-for-5) had one run.
Gilmore (1-for-4, home run) Lovell (1-for-4, two run and an RBI), Smith (1-for-4, two runs and an RBI), and Levine (1-for-1) had one hit each.
Owings was 4-for-5 with the home run and five RBIs for EMU.
Game Four:
For game four, Tollett sent freshman Tyler Shuck to the mound while Wood sent senior Luke DeVenney. Shuck was making his debut after graduating from Canterbury High School.
EMU would score first at the top of the first. After Peggs drew a lead-off walk, Shuck would get Schuemann to grounding while Peggs advanced to second before stealing third. After Owings and Rensel Jr drew back-to-back walks to load the bases, Nate Jones would send Peggs and Owings home with a two RBI single before Timko lined out into a double play.
FGCU would then get on the board in the bottom half. Coffers would begin with a lead-off double. After Morey walked, Gilmore would reach first on a fielder's choice sending Coffers to third. After Lovell struck out, Brait and Garcia hit back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at 2-2.
EMU would retake the lead at the top of the second. After Nate Jones drew a lead-off walk, Hager would send him to second with a sacrifice bunt. After Cruz struck out, Peggs would hit a double and bring Jones home before being called out attempting to stretch to a triple.
At the top of the third, Schuemann grounded out before Owing and Rensel Jr drew back-to-back one out walks. This signaled the end for Shuck as Tollett sent Townsend to the mound to pitch.
After a double steal before walking Nick Jones to load, Townsend was able to get Timko to pop an infield fly for the second out. Tollett would make a second pitching change as he sent Vickery to the mound. Vickery would get Nate Jones to fly out and stop EMU from scoring.
Going into the top of the fourth, Tollett would make his third pitching change and send junior Evan Lumbert to the mound. Lumbert was making his debut after spending the first two seasons at NJCAA South Florida State College. After giving up a Hager lead-off single, Cruz would send Hager home after a fielding and throwing error from Garcia. Lumbert was able to escape the inning as picked off Cruz at second, struck out Peggs and got Schuemann to line out.
In the bottom of the fourth, FGCU would cut the EMU lead to one run once again. After Levine was hit by a pitch, Smith would follow with a one-out single sending Levine to second. Proffitt would follow with single to load the bases for Coffers, who drove in Levine with a sac fly.
After a scoreless fifth and score top of the sixth, FGCU continued to fight in the bottom of the sixth. Before the bottom of the sixth, Wood would send freshman Thomas House to the mound. After a two-out back-to-back singles from Smith and Proffitt, Coffers would draw a walk to load the bases for Morey. Morey would tie the game with a bases-loaded single and sent Smith home.
EMU would retake the lead at the top of the seventh. After a Schuemann lead-off infield single before advancing to second on a passed ball, Lumbert would get Owings to strikeout. Schuemann would then advance to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Rensel Jr. would drive Schuemann home with an RBI single to give EMU a 5-4 lead. Lumbert remained in the game and got Nick Jones to strikeout before freshman Shane Easter lined out to end the top half.
In the eighth inning, FGCU seemed hopeless after EMU scored another run at the top of the eighth after a solo home run off the bat of Cruz, but they proved that they were the better Eagle in the bottom of the eighth. Smith would start the rally with a lead-off single. After Proffitt flied out and Coffers fouled out, Morey would draw a walk for Gilmore. Gilmore would clock a three-run shot to left center and give FGCU the lead. This was Gilmore's second home run of the season.
At the top of the ninth, FGCU made a defensive substitution as Hayes would play at first base for Gilmore. EMU would then tie the game after an RBI single from Nick Jones.
At the bottom of the ninth, EMU made another pitching change as Wood sent Schroeder to pitch the ninth inning before it was time for FGCU to steal the show. After Garcia was hit by a pitch to start the bottom half, Garcia would advance to second on a failed pickoff attempt. Tollett would then have sophomore Tyler Yeager pinch run for Garcia while Levine was at-bat. Yeager would then advance to third on a wild pitch. With one final swing, Levine would seal the deal with a single to right and Yeager home for the win.
“I went up there knowing I was going top sac-bunt,” Levine said. “He throws away the first one, and I’m like all right, I’m still going to sac bunt. Just trying to get my job done. Then the wild pitch comes and I’m thinking he’s been wild, so I am probably going to walk, but then [Brandon] Romand gives me the swing sign and I’m like ‘if I get the pitch, I’m going to swing’, and that’s what happened.
Shuck and DeVenney earned no-decisions. Shuck threw 2.1 innings, giving up three runs on two hits while walking six batters and striking out one while DeVenney threw five innings, giving up three runs on five hits while walking three batters and striking out three.
Lumbert would earn the win after throwing six innings, giving up four runs (one earned) on seven hits while walking one batter and striking out six.
Schroder would be credited with the loss after giving up one run on one hit without an inning thrown.
Below are pics with me and the baseball players from games one and two:
Game One:
In game one, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett sent redshirt junior Josh Dye to pitch the opening game while Eastern Michigan interim head coach Eric Roof sent junior Davis Feldman to counter.
In the first inning, Dye was off to a rocky start. After giving up a single to junior Max Schuemann. After Schuemann advance to third on a failed pickoff attempt from Dye, sophomore Zachary Owings would bring in Schuemann on a groundout for the first run of the game.
With the score 1-0 in favor of EMU, FGCU remained scoreless until the bottom of the third. Sophomore Jake Smith would start with a lead-off single. After freshman Christian Proffitt, who made his debut, drew a walk, redshirt senior Gage Morey would get hit by a pitch to load the bases for redshirt sophomore Kohl Gilmore. Gilmore, who made his debut after spending one season at NJCAA Indian River State, would drive in Smith in with an RBI single for FGCU's first run. Senior Eli Lovell would bring in FGCU's second run by bringing in Proffitt on a sacrifice fly.
The runs did not stop for FGCU as sophomore Alex Brait would hit an RBI single that brought in Morey for the third run before sophomore Richie Garcia came to the plate. The former A-SUN Freshman of the Year smacked a two-run triple to bring in Brait and Kilmore.
Of course when Garcia is coming to the plate, all the fans and Dirty Birds in attendance clap to his walk-up song "Bailar" by Elvis Crespo because it's so catchy. Garcia did give me credit for starting it up.
FGCU remained ahead until the seventh inning changed. After Dye was pulled, Tollett brought senior Christian Townsend to pitch in relief for Dye. Townsend would end up giving up two runs in a third of an inning.
Tollet would then bring in sophomore Sebastian Gruszecki to pitch a third of an inning before redshirt senior Parker Hamilton would step in to finish the end of the seventh. Hamilton struggled in the eighth as he gave up the tying run after freshman Nate Jones hit an RBI single to bring in sophomore Nick Jones.
After Hamilton gave up the tying run, Tollett made his big move and had redshirt senior Kenton Hering finish the eighth and indeed he did as Hering got junior Cameron Cruz to strikeout.
By the ninth inning, FGCU found it's spark to win the game. Morey would begin with a lead-off single. After Gilmore walked, Lovell would reach on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Brait would seal the deal with a walk-off bases-loaded single and bring in Morey for the win.
Dye would end up with a no-decision after throwing six innings, giving up two unearned runs on four hits while striking out three batters.
Hering would get the win after throwing 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one batter.
Feldman would also be credited with a no-decision after throwing six innings while giving up five runs on six hits, walking three batters and striking out four.
Senior Justin McMurtrey was credited with the loss after giving up the game-winning run on two hits while walking one batter.
Brait went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
Morey was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk.
Garcia was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
In his debut, Gilmore finished 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI.
Proffitt would end up with three walks along with a run scored for his debut.
Junior Keith Stevens also made his debut for the team at first base. After joining FGCU as a double transfer from FAMU and NJCAA Hillsborough Community College (HCC), Stevens went 0-for-3 with a walk.
Junior Eric Gonzalez made his debut as a pinch runner after Stevens drew a walk. Gonzalez spent the first two seasons at NJCAA ASA-Miami.
“It’s been a grind since August and six months in, we’re finally in it,” said Garcia. “This has been the moment I have been waiting for: to hit a triple in my second at bat.”
Game Two:
For game two, Tollett would send redshirt senior Mario Leon to the mound while Roof sent senior Brad Allen to counter.
Leon had no problem at the top of the first. Despite giving up a double and a fielder's choice, the Naples native was able to strike out two batters.
FGCU would strike first in game two. Sophomore Marc Coffers would start off with a single to left. Morey would send Coffers to second after grounding out before Gilmore drove Coffers in on a single for the first run of game two.
After Lovell and Garcia drew back-to-back walks, senior Spencer Levine was hit by a pitch and brought in Gilmore for the second run. Smith would bring in Lovell and Garcia to make it 3-0 on a bases-loaded single.
Eastern Michigan was held scoreless by Leon until the top of third inning when Schuemann hit a single, steal second and advance to third before scoring EMU's first run.
FGCU would add three more runs in the fourth inning to make up for the EMU run. After back-to-back singles from Smith and Proffitt, Coffers would single and send Smith and Proffitt home. Coffers would score the seventh run after Morey hit a fielder's choice.
By the fifth inning, FGCU continued to add more runs to the mix. After a Lovell single, Brait would line a triple and bring in Lovell before scoring on an RBI groundout from Garcia.
At the top of the sixth, freshman Bryan Wilcox would make his collegiate debut and come in relief for Leon and strike out two of his three batters.
FGCU would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Gilmore would start with a two-out single. After redshirt junior Jay Hayes came in as a pinch runner for Gilmore and Lovell drew a walk, Brait would would hit a double and bring in Hayes and Lovell to make it 11-1 FGCU.
FGCU would add one more run to the mix in the eighth. Hayes would start with a two-out single. After Hayes advanced to second on a wild pitch, Lovell would bring Hayes in on a double to make it 12-1 in favor of FGCU.
FGCU would make another pitching change as sophomore Matt Rumpf would enter the game. After giving up two runs in the game, Rumpf was able to get out of the ninth inning for an FGCU win.
"A 2-0 start is what we should do and what we expect to do," said head coach Dave Tollett on games one and two. "It was not pretty at all but we played hard, we played with energy, and as I said earlier before this game, this team is going to get better as the year goes on. I'd rather get better in the win column than the loss column – it makes practice much more fun Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We had guys go out there and compete. I thought our starting pitching, (Josh) Dye and (Mario) Leon, did a great job. And in the second game (Bryan) Wilcox got in the ballgame and did absolutely fantastic. We had guys swing the bat well – Brait, that guy is on fire right now. There's some good things and some bad things but the bottom line is it goes in the left-handed column and we're undefeated."
“It’s just a great feeling,” Garcia added. “It’s a new group of guys. We lost a lot last year, so to start 2-0 on a Friday is amazing. It is an amazing feeling.”
Leon would be credited with the win after throwing five innings and giving up one run on three hits while walking one batter and striking out six.
“I thought I threw okay,” Leon said. “If I had to work on something, it would be minimizing pitch and not be so high. My team is going to need me to go deeper into ballgames, but I thought I did a good job of minimizing some of the mistakes I made early on.”
Wilcox threw three innings and gave up one run on one hit while walking three batters and striking out six while Rumpf threw one inning giving up one run on two hits with one walk.
Smith, Brait, Lovell, Gilmore and Coffers had two hits each. Smith was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, Brait was 2-for-5 with three RBIs, Lovell was 2-for-3 with three runs, an RBI and two walks, Gilmore was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, and Coffers was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI
Allen was credited with the loss after throwing four innings, and giving up nine runs (six earned) on eight hits while walking two batters and striking out four.
Junior Mitchell Sparks and freshman Dillon Schroeder also pitched for EMU. Sparks gave up two runs on three hits while walking one batter and striking out three in three innings while Schroeder gave up one run on two hits in one inning.
Game Three:
For game three, Tollett sent senior Peyton Gray to pitch against junior Jackson Shaver.
In the first inning, EMU would score the first run. After striking out sophomore Drake Peggs and hitting junior Max Schuemann before picking him off, Gray gave up a solo home run to sophomore Zachary Owings before striking out junior John Rensel Jr. to end the top half of the inning.
At the bottom of the first, FGCU would tie the game as Gilmore hit a solo shot to right center. It was Gilmore's first home run in an FGCU uniform.
At the bottom of the second, FGCU would take the lead. After Garcia was hit by a pitch, Hayes would drive a double, sending Garcia to third. Smith would then send Garcia home with an RBI single and send Hayes to third for Proffitt. Proffitt would send Hayes home with a sacrifice bunt and move Smith to second. From there, Coffers would send Smith home with an RBI single for the final run of the second inning.
At the top of the third, EMU would cut FGCU's lead to one run after Owings sent Peggs home with an RBI single before Schuemann scored on a wild pitch from a failed pickoff attempt.
FGCU was quick to retaliate and increased the lead at the bottom of the third. After Lovell hit a one-out single, Garcia would smack an RBI double to left center, sending Lovell home.
At the top of the fourth, Tollett sent Hamilton to come in to pitch for Gray. After getting Nick Jones to strikeout and Nate Jones to popout, redshirt freshman Jeff Timko and sophomore Devin Hager would hit two-out back-to-back single to start an EMU rally before junior Cameron Cruz sent Timko home for EMU's fourth run of the game signaling the end for Hamilton.
Tollett then sent sophomore Trey Vickery to the mound to replace Hamilton, but it was not very effective as Hager score the game-tying run while Cruz stole second before advancing to third on a Brait throwing error before Peggs brought in Cruz with an RBI single to give EMU the lead.
Tollett would make a third pitching change and send Gruszecki to the mound, but once again, it seemed ineffective as Schuemann hit an RBI double, sending Peggs home.
Tollett would make a fourth pitching change and send in junior Justin Gill to the mound. Gill was making his debut after spending the first two seasons at NJCAA Polk State College. After Schuemann stole third, Owings would hit an RBI single, sending Schuemann home before stealing. Gill was able to strikeout Rensel Jr. to end the top half of the fourth inning.
With the score 8-5 in favor of EMU, in the bottom of the fifth, Brait would hit his first home run of the season with a solo shot to right to make it 8-6 EMU, signaling that FGCU still had fight left in them.
At the top of the sixth, EMU would increase their lead to 10-6. After a Hager lead-off with a bunt single. After Gill got Cruz to strike out swinging, Hager would advance to second on a balk, something I have rarely seen. Peggs would reach first on a Garcia throwing error while Hager advanced to third before scoring EMU's ninth run of the game on a passed ball.
Tollettt kept Gill in the game. Owings would hit another RBI single sending Peggs home before Rensel Jr. struck out swinging for the third time in the game.
EMU remained ahead by a score of 10-6, but just because FGCU was down did not mean that they would give up in the bottom of the sixth. Before the Eagles batted, Roof sent freshman Luke McGuire to pitch for Shaver.
After Proffitt grounded out to start the bottom half, Coffers would begin with a one-out single before stealing second. After Morey walked, Coffers would steal third before Gilmore drew a walk to load the bases for Lovell. Lovell woud draw a walk sending Coffers home and reloading the bases.
Wood would make another pitching change and send freshman Scott Granzotto to the mound. Brait would hit into a fielder's choice and send Morey home to cut the EMU lead. Garcia would follow with an RBI double sending Gilmore to make it 10-9 still in EMU's favor.
Gill remained in the game and held EMU scoreless at the top of the seventh despite giving up three singles.
Wood would make another pitching change in the bottom of the seventh and send senior Justin McMurtrey to mound. McMurtrey would throw a scoreless inning as well.
At the top of the eighth, Hering was sent to the mound after Gill gave up a lead-off double to Peggs. Hering would get Schuemann to ground out before Owings grounded out, sending Peggs to score the 11th EMU run. After giving up a two-out single to Rensel Jr, Hering was able to strikeout Nick Jones to end the top half of the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, FGCU would continue to fight. After Lovell reached on a fielder's choice, Brait would cut the EMU lead to one run, sending Lovell home with an RBI double.
After Hering held EMU scoreless at the top of the ninth, it all came down to one final push for FGCU. After a Hayes groundout to start the bottom half, Smith was hit by a pitch to start the rally. Levine would come in to pinch hit for Proffitt and hit a single to left sending Smith to second for Coffers before Gonzalez came in to pinch run. Coffers would tie the game at 10-10 with an RBI single, sending Smith home. Morey would be the saving grace and bring in Gonzalez with a game-winning RBI single.
“Marc told me before the inning it 7,8,9 then let’s do it,” Morey said. “I said all right, let’s do it. Either you’re going to do it or I’m going to do it, so it is going to be one of us.”
"It's huge. Anytime with a new team you can come from behind and win, it will be big for us down the road because we've done it, we've done it early," said Tollett on game three. "For me, with a young team, I just think it's a great thing. I thought if we could ever stop them, we could win the ballgame but we didn't stop them much today. Our offense, I believed if we could have got to Hering like we did it would give us a shot."
Both Gray and Shaver earned a no decision.
Gray threw three innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits while walking one batter and striking out five while Shaver threw five innings, giving up six runs on nine hits while striking out three batters.
Hering was credited with his second win of the season after throwing two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out two batters. The run Hering gave up was credited to Gill.
McMurtrey was credited with his second loss after throwing 2.1 innings, giving up three runs on five hits while striking out two batters.
Gill, in his debut, threw 3.1 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out four batters.
Coffers, Morey, Brait, Garcia, and Hayes had multi-hit games.
Coffers and Morey had three hits each. Coffers (3-for-6) had two RBIs, one run and two stolen bases while Morey (3-for-5) had one RBI, one run and one walk.
Brait, Garcia, and Hayes had two hits and a run each. Brait (2-for-5) had three RBIs and a run, Garcia (2-for-4) had two RBIs and a run, and Hayes (2-for-5) had one run.
Gilmore (1-for-4, home run) Lovell (1-for-4, two run and an RBI), Smith (1-for-4, two runs and an RBI), and Levine (1-for-1) had one hit each.
Owings was 4-for-5 with the home run and five RBIs for EMU.
Game Four:
For game four, Tollett sent freshman Tyler Shuck to the mound while Wood sent senior Luke DeVenney. Shuck was making his debut after graduating from Canterbury High School.
EMU would score first at the top of the first. After Peggs drew a lead-off walk, Shuck would get Schuemann to grounding while Peggs advanced to second before stealing third. After Owings and Rensel Jr drew back-to-back walks to load the bases, Nate Jones would send Peggs and Owings home with a two RBI single before Timko lined out into a double play.
FGCU would then get on the board in the bottom half. Coffers would begin with a lead-off double. After Morey walked, Gilmore would reach first on a fielder's choice sending Coffers to third. After Lovell struck out, Brait and Garcia hit back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at 2-2.
EMU would retake the lead at the top of the second. After Nate Jones drew a lead-off walk, Hager would send him to second with a sacrifice bunt. After Cruz struck out, Peggs would hit a double and bring Jones home before being called out attempting to stretch to a triple.
At the top of the third, Schuemann grounded out before Owing and Rensel Jr drew back-to-back one out walks. This signaled the end for Shuck as Tollett sent Townsend to the mound to pitch.
After a double steal before walking Nick Jones to load, Townsend was able to get Timko to pop an infield fly for the second out. Tollett would make a second pitching change as he sent Vickery to the mound. Vickery would get Nate Jones to fly out and stop EMU from scoring.
Going into the top of the fourth, Tollett would make his third pitching change and send junior Evan Lumbert to the mound. Lumbert was making his debut after spending the first two seasons at NJCAA South Florida State College. After giving up a Hager lead-off single, Cruz would send Hager home after a fielding and throwing error from Garcia. Lumbert was able to escape the inning as picked off Cruz at second, struck out Peggs and got Schuemann to line out.
In the bottom of the fourth, FGCU would cut the EMU lead to one run once again. After Levine was hit by a pitch, Smith would follow with a one-out single sending Levine to second. Proffitt would follow with single to load the bases for Coffers, who drove in Levine with a sac fly.
After a scoreless fifth and score top of the sixth, FGCU continued to fight in the bottom of the sixth. Before the bottom of the sixth, Wood would send freshman Thomas House to the mound. After a two-out back-to-back singles from Smith and Proffitt, Coffers would draw a walk to load the bases for Morey. Morey would tie the game with a bases-loaded single and sent Smith home.
EMU would retake the lead at the top of the seventh. After a Schuemann lead-off infield single before advancing to second on a passed ball, Lumbert would get Owings to strikeout. Schuemann would then advance to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Rensel Jr. would drive Schuemann home with an RBI single to give EMU a 5-4 lead. Lumbert remained in the game and got Nick Jones to strikeout before freshman Shane Easter lined out to end the top half.
In the eighth inning, FGCU seemed hopeless after EMU scored another run at the top of the eighth after a solo home run off the bat of Cruz, but they proved that they were the better Eagle in the bottom of the eighth. Smith would start the rally with a lead-off single. After Proffitt flied out and Coffers fouled out, Morey would draw a walk for Gilmore. Gilmore would clock a three-run shot to left center and give FGCU the lead. This was Gilmore's second home run of the season.
At the top of the ninth, FGCU made a defensive substitution as Hayes would play at first base for Gilmore. EMU would then tie the game after an RBI single from Nick Jones.
At the bottom of the ninth, EMU made another pitching change as Wood sent Schroeder to pitch the ninth inning before it was time for FGCU to steal the show. After Garcia was hit by a pitch to start the bottom half, Garcia would advance to second on a failed pickoff attempt. Tollett would then have sophomore Tyler Yeager pinch run for Garcia while Levine was at-bat. Yeager would then advance to third on a wild pitch. With one final swing, Levine would seal the deal with a single to right and Yeager home for the win.
“I went up there knowing I was going top sac-bunt,” Levine said. “He throws away the first one, and I’m like all right, I’m still going to sac bunt. Just trying to get my job done. Then the wild pitch comes and I’m thinking he’s been wild, so I am probably going to walk, but then [Brandon] Romand gives me the swing sign and I’m like ‘if I get the pitch, I’m going to swing’, and that’s what happened.
Shuck and DeVenney earned no-decisions. Shuck threw 2.1 innings, giving up three runs on two hits while walking six batters and striking out one while DeVenney threw five innings, giving up three runs on five hits while walking three batters and striking out three.
Lumbert would earn the win after throwing six innings, giving up four runs (one earned) on seven hits while walking one batter and striking out six.
Schroder would be credited with the loss after giving up one run on one hit without an inning thrown.
"It's Swanson and special things happen here," said Tollett on game four. "To do it three times, I don't think we've had three walk-off wins in a series. There was great timely hits, the hit by pitch -- our bottom of the order really kept us alive. And Lumbert gave us a chance, he gave us a spark. He's a bulldog and he's a fighter."
Smith and Proffitt were the only FGCU players with a multi-hit game for game four. Smith was 3-for-4 with two runs scored while Proffitt was 2-for-4.
Coffers (1-for-3, one double, one RBI, one run, one walk), Morey (1-for-3, one RBI, one run, two walks), Gilmore (1-for-4, one home run, three RBIs, one walk, two runs), Brait (1-for-5, one RBI), Garcia (1-for-4, one RBI), and Levine (1-for-3, one RBI, one run scored, one walk) had one hit and at least one RBI each.
FGCU remains at home as they face former A-SUN member Eastern Tennessee State (ETSU) on February 23-25.
Below are pics with me and the baseball players from games one and two:
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| With Marc Coffers and Alex Brait |
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| With Spencer Levine |
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| With Jay Hayes |
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| With Christian Townsend |
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| With Eli Lovell |
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| With Richie Garcia |
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| With Kenton Hering |
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