FORT MYERS, Fla. – After struggling to put runs on the board in the first three games of the FGCU/Four Points by Sheraton Invitational, the FGCU softball team (6-9) scored 19 runs in two games Sunday afternoon. The Eagles defeated Stony Brook (2-3) by a 10-2 count and Oakland (4-6) by a score of 9-1.

The Green and Blue wasted no time by scoring six runs in the first inning against the Seawolves of Stony Brook. Against Oakland, the Eagles scored three in the second, four in the fifth and capped the win with a walk-off sacrifice foul out in the sixth as FGCU won both games via the run rule as it was leading by at least eight runs in the fifth inning or later.

Against Stony Brook, freshman Brittany McGuire (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) led the offensive attack with four hits, three runs batted in and scored two runs. Senior Kelsey Carpenter (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) played a key role in the offense as well with three hits, two RBI and scored two runs. 

Sophomore Jeanie Verderese (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside HS) had three hits and was a home run away from the cycle while adding two RBI and two runs against the Golden Grizzles. Freshman Natalie Lopez (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS) also contributed threes, two runs batted in and plated a run in the game.

"We had a great team effort today," said head coach David Deiros. "We had contributions from up and down the lineup, the bench and our reserves did a good job when they came in. We drew up a game plan of what we wanted to do today against both opponents. Our entire team executed every conceivable point of our game plan. I can't be any happier for our team and we want to build on it for our doubleheader against Oakland on Tuesday."

GAME ONE
Shelby Morgan (High Springs, Fla./Sante Fe HS) earned the complete-game victory against Stony Brook to improve her record to 2-1. Morgan allowed five hits, two runs, one earned, walked three and struck out three.

Stony Brook scored its first run of the game in the top of the first on an RBI single. The Seawolves only other run in the game came in the third on sacrifice fly to center.

Freshman Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) led off the game with a single through the right side. Makensie McAvoy (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) reached base after getting hit in the helmet. The double steal was on, as Huff and McAvoy advanced to second and third, respectively. Carpenter stepped to the plate, and on a 2-1 count singled down right-field line to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead. Junior Alexis Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) singled through the left side before advancing to second on a wild pitch with Carpenter moving to third.

McGuire drove in her first run of the game with an RBI single through the left side which scored Carpenter from third. Ross scored on the next play when McGuire swiped second. Freshman Kasandra Castle (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central HS) singled through the right side which advanced McGuire to third. McGuire scored with two outs when Lopez drove the ball up the middle. Castle gave the Eagles their sixth run of the inning when she scored on a passed ball.

With two outs in the second, the Green and Blue hit back-to-back doubles from Ross and McGuire. Freshman Chandler Middlebrook (Auburndale, Fla./Auburndale HS) drove in the second and final run of the inning with an RBI single down the right-field line.

The Eagles added their ninth run of the contest in the fourth with a sac bunt from pinch hitter Ashley Swiderski (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) that scored Carissa LiCata (Okeechobee, Fla./Okeechobee HS). McGuire hit a walk-off single to left center which scored Carpenter from second to give FGCU the win in the fifth inning.

GAME TWO
The Eagles sent freshman Gabbee Draney (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep High School) to the circle against the Golden Grizzles. Draney improved her record to 2-3 with a complete-game victory, allowing one earned run, four hits, four walks and two strike outs.

The Golden Grizzles only run on the afternoon came in the third inning with an RBI single to left field.

The Green and Blue scored three in the second inning to get things started against Oakland. With two outs in the inning, Castle reached first on a fielding error by the first baseman to keep the inning alive. Verderese made the Golden Grizzles pay instantly with an RBI triple to center. Lopez singled and stole second to give Huff a chance to drive in two, and she seized the moment and smacked the ball to right which drove in two on the single.

The floodgates opened in the fifth as the Eagles scored four runs to make the score 7-1. Ross singled to start the inning before LiCata came in as a pinch runner. McGuire then reached on a fielder's choice with LiCata being safe at second before both runners advanced on a passed ball. Michaela Hynes (Windermere, Fla./West Orange HS) followed suit and reached on a fielder's choice with LiCata sliding under the catcher's tag to score the first run of the inning. Verderese then doubled down the left field line with two outs, scoring McGuire and advancing Hynes to third. The final two runs of the inning came when Lopez drove in Verderese and Hynes with a single to center and advanced to third on an error.

McAvoy reached base on a bunt singled before Carpenter doubled down the right field line to start the sixth. With her second walk-off of the day, McGuire drove in Carpenter with a sacrifice foul out to right field.

The Green and Blue return to the field Tuesday, Feb. 24 when they take on Oakland in a doubleheader that starts at 5 p.m. at the FGCU Softball Complex.

THE SCHEDULE

Friday, Feb. 13
Oakland: 8 Stony Brook: 1
Purdue: 4 Oakland: 2
Stony Brook: 3 Bethune-Cookman 2 (8 inn.)
Purdue: 10 FGCU: 2 (9 inn.)

Saturday, Feb 14
Bethune-Cookman 6 FGCU 5
Purdue 3 FGCU 1
Bethune-Cookman 2 Oakland 0
Stony Brook 3 Purdue 2
Oakland 9 Stony Brook 6

Sunday, Feb 15
Purdue 2 Bethune-Cookman 0
FGCU 10 Stony Brook 2
FGCU 9 Oakland 1

For up-to-the minute information on the FGCU softball program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_Softball and Instagram at fgcusoftball and stay tuned at FGCUAthletics.com.

The founding father of FGCU softball, David Deiros enters his 13th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to 11 seasons with a winning record, eight campaigns with 35+ wins and a win percentage of .692 (495-220-3). The 2014 Eagles finished with a 33-26-1 and wins over SEC, Big 10, Big East, and ACC opponents.  FGCU finished their season with an RPI ranking in the top-100 for the 3rd consecutive season and the 5th time in their seven years at Division I. Deiros is a former head coach at the 1998 Florida State Runner-up Lely High School in Naples and is the founding head coach of the 1999 District Champion/2001 Regional Runner-up Gulf Coast High School in Naples.