FGCU Baseball @ Kennnesaw State Game One Recap

The FGCU baseball team (23-11, 5-2 A-SUN) picked up an 8-4 Friday night win over Kennesaw State (16-19, 3-4 A-SUN) at Stillwell Stadium.
Both teams got on the board early, as the Eagles and the Owls tallied a run apiece in the first frame. Senior Jay Hayes plated classmate Marc Coffers with an RBI groundout for the Green and Blue's first run of the night. KSU responded with an RBI single of its own to even things up at 1-1.

Junior Richie Garcia regained FGCU's lead with a solo shot to right center in the top of the second. The homer was his third of the season.

Junior Mason Studstill (5-0) started on the hill for the Eagles and, aside from the one early run, kept Kennesaw State off the board for 7.0 innings of work, earning his fifth win of the season. He finished the night with eight strikeouts, while conceding three walks and five hits.

While Studstill kept the Owl offense away from home plate, senior Eric Gonzalez tacked on three insurance runs for the Green and Blue. In the fourth inning, he launched his fourth home run of the season when he sent a two-run shot out to left field. Freshman Joe Kinker scored on the play. The senior was credited with another RBI in the top of the sixth when he snuck a single through the right side that plated Garcia.

KSU capitalized on the FGCU pitching changes in the eighth and made it a two-run ball game. Juniors Sebastian Gruszecki and Hunter McGarry each threw for the Eagles in the frame. Kennesaw State cranked out four singles and managed to get the tying run as far as second base, but the inning ended before the team could score again.

The Eagles put the game out of reach with a three-spot in the top of the ninth. Freshman Jalen Townsend, who entered the game as a pinch runner, stole two bases before scoring on a wild pitch to give the team a 6-3 lead. Junior Elijah Eusebio was credited with a pair of runs after he doubled to left field, scoring Hayes and junior Alex Brait. 

Freshman Chris Seymour and sophomore Nikolas Bitner teamed up to record the final three outs of the night. Seymour recorded the first and, after allowing two runners to reach, was relieved by Bitner. Bitner took an Owl down swinging before he was charged with a balk, giving Kennesaw its final run of the game. The sophomore closed things out with a flyout to Coffers in center field.

Garcia finished the night with a team-high three hits, just ahead of Coffers and Gonzalez who each added a pair. Brait, Hayes, Eusebio, senior Keith Stevens and junior Anthony Gonnella added one apiece in the Eagles' well-balanced attack.

"Tonight we had another great start by Studstill," head coach Dave Tollett said. "I thought we played solid all the way around. It was a good Friday night win with some key hits and a pair of home runs. We ran the bases well and played good defense. It was nice to see Richie have three hits, Eusebio have a big hit to open the game up a little bit and Coffers have some great hits in the leadoff spot."

Up Next:
Originally, the Eagles and the Owls were scheduled to play on Saturday at 2 p.m. and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, but the teams will face off in a doubleheader tomorrow instead. The first game will still be played at 2 p.m. and the series finale will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.