FGCU Baseball vs UNF Game Three Recap

 The FGCU baseball team (14-8, 1-2 A-SUN) fell 14-8 in a rubber match against UNF (16-10, 2-1 A-SUN) at the end of a back-and-forth battle Sunday afternoon at Harmon Stadium.

"We couldn't get a run in the first bit but we could pitch," said head coach Dave Tollett. "Then, we were getting runs but we couldn't pitch. It was two different games and we definitely weren't on the same page as a team. But it was a great game by Eusebio off the bench that was definitely a bright spot for today."

The Ospreys used a pair of RBI singles in the first and second frames to jump out to an early 2-0 lead. With the bases loaded in the third, UNF threatened to extend its lead once again. The Eagles' sophomore starter Nikolas Bitner was relieved by junior Trey Vickery, who was tasked with recording the final out of the inning. Vickery ended the frame by getting an Osprey batter to fly out to left field.

The Eagles were kept off the boards until the sixth inning. Junior Marc Coffers opened things up with a leadoff single and senior Jay Hayes snuck one up the middle to reach base. Junior Kohl Gilmore plated Coffers with an RBI single that cut the Ospreys' lead in half, 2-1.

The next few innings saw a lot of back-and-forth scoring between the two teams. UNF extended its advantage to 6-1 with a pair of RBI singles in the bottom of the sixth. FGCU scored for its second-consecutive inning with a two-spot in the seventh. Senior Eric Gonzalez doubled down the left field line to get things started and scored when junior Elijah Eusebio smoked a ball over the left field fence. Eusebio's first career home run trimmed UNF's lead to 6-3.

The Ospreys responded with a solo shot of their own in the first at-bat of the frame, but it was not enough to keep the Eagles at bay. The Green and Blue's offense exploded in the eighth, allowing FGCU to take its first lead of the game. Eusebio cranked out his second home run of the afternoon, a grand slam that scored junior pinch-hitter Anthony Gonnella, junior Richie Garcia and Gilmore.

Prior to today's matchup, there had not been a single lead change all weekend. Eusebio's shot handed the Eagles an 8-7 advantage. His initial round-tripper was the first pinch-hit home run by an Eagle since April 25, 2017 (Corey Fehribach). He is also the second member of the team to crank two homers in a single game this season, joining Hayes.

UNF responded to FGCU's push with six hits and seven runs in the home half of the eighth to take the last lead of the series. Nine different pitchers made appearances for the Eagles and all but senior Justin Gill were charged with at least one run. Junior Hunter McGarry (2-1) was tagged with his first loss of the season after giving up three of the runs that gave the Ospreys their final lead.

This weekend marked the first series loss handed to the Eagles this season. The 20 hits tied for the sixth-most allowed in FGCU baseball history. The last time the Green and Blue gave up 20 hits was a 10-5 loss to UNF in April 2017.

Eusebio's two home runs tie for the most hit by an Eagle in a single game. The last time an FGCU player cranked out two homers was Eric Gonzalez at Florida A&M last season.

Up Next:
The Eagles will return to Swanson Stadium for the first game of a home-and-home midweek series against FIU (11-12, 2-4 C-USA). The teams will face off at 6:30 p.m. both Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27. Wednesday's game will be at the FIU Baseball Stadium in Miami. The Panthers are coming off a 2-1 series loss to Western Kentucky.