FGCU Baseball vs North Alabama Game Three Recap

Freshman Corey Clement had a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth that gave the FGCU baseball team (30-14, 12-3 A-SUN) a 6-5 win over North Alabama (11-32, 5-12 A-SUN) to complete the series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Swanson Stadium. The win marks the third time this season that the Eagles have swept an A-SUN opponent.

"This was a great weekend," head coach Dave Tollett said. "North Alabama is tough and they did some things that we haven't seen this season, but we were able to overcome it. Today's win was an awesome way to get the sweep. We hung in when we were down and then Clement had that game-ending hit for us which was huge."

With two outs, Clement, who had entered the game as a defensive sub in the eighth and only had two previous at-bats on the season, laced a single through the left side that scored junior pinch runner Cameron Krzeminski.

With the win, the Eagles stand alone at the top of the A-SUN standings. The team has already earned the most conference wins since two seasons ago when the Green and Blue won the 2017 A-SUN Championship. The team went 13-8 during the regular season.

The Lions, who had been held to just three earned runs entering the final game of the series, tagged the Eagles' senior starter Evan Lumbert with a pair of runs in the opening frame and added a third in the second. The early 3-0 lead was the visiting team's largest of the weekend.

In the fourth inning, senior Keith Stevens took UNA's starter deep to center field with a two-run shot that plated junior Richie Garcia. The Lions threatened to re-extend their lead after working the bases loaded in the following inning, but senior Eric Gonzalez, Garcia and junior Elijah Eusebio turned a double play to get out of the jam.

The Eagles responded with a bases-loaded push of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning. With two outs on the board, junior Kohl Gilmore fisted the ball into center field for an two-run single that pushed Garcia and junior Alex Brait across, giving FGCU its first lead of the afternoon.

After his rocky start, Lumber settled into a productive rhythm and allowed just one hit over the next four frames. He was relieved by junior Trey Vickery in the top of the seventh. Lumbert finished six innings of work with five Ks and three walks.

Vickery allowed two Lion baserunners, but managed to record two outs before handing the mound over to junior Brenden Heiss. UNA capitalized on the pitching change and brought two runs in with an RBI single that handed the team a 5-4 lead. Junior Hunter McGarry was called from the bullpen to end the inning, doing so with a swinging K.

Freshman Joe Kinker tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single that plated Stevens, which would set the stage for Clement's heroics in the ninth.

McGarry was awarded the win for keeping the Lions off the board while FGCU took its final lead and improved to 5-1 on the season.

Up Next
The Eagles will head to FAU (29-14, 15-6 C-USA) for their last scheduled midweek game of the season. The game against the Owls is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30 in Boca Raton. FGCU holds a 12-7 advantage in the history between the two programs, including a 6-3 edge at the Owls' home stadium. FAU is currently ranked at #52 in the RPI standings.