GULF SHORES, Ala. – The FGCU Softball team took on Southland foes McNeese State and Houston Baptist during the first day of play at the Sand Dollar Classic Friday afternoon. The Eagles split the two games, dropping the first in extra innings as McNeese State hit a walk-off homerun before rallying against Houston Baptist to win. The Green and Blue start the season at a 1-1 mark.

"Our first two games were good and our kids did a really nice job," said head coach David Deiros. "We battled well in the first game and unfortunately McNeese State hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the eighth after we had taken a lead in the top half, but our kids fought the whole game and played good softball. In the second game, we did not play as well but we showed a lot of resilience to come back and win after falling behind. I am really proud of our kids after their first day out and I think they are just going to get better with a little more seasoning through the season."

The Eagles had a chance to win the game in the seventh against the Cowgirls with the bases loaded and one out, but could not muster another run in the inning to fall 6-4. In the second game of the afternoon, the Green and Blue battled against the Huskies during a back and forth affair that saw FGCU hold on to the 6-4 lead they gained in the top of the sixth.

GAME ONE
FGCU's first game of the season against McNeese State needed extra innings to decide the contest. The Eagles opened the game with a single to the shortstop from Makensie McAvoy (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) who then advanced to second on a groundout. McAvoy would score later in the inning when Alexis Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) singled to centerfield giving them an early 1-0 advantage.

However, the Cowgirls would tie the game in the bottom half of the first when Erika Piancastelli hit an RBI double into centerfield. The Green and Blue wasted no time to take the lead again in the top of the second when Michaela Hynes (Windermere, Fla./West Orange High School) hit a solo shot over the left field fence in her first collegiate at bat.

McNeese State would take a 3-2 advantage in the fourth when they scored a run off of a ground out which they followed with an RBI double. The Eagles would not score again until the sixth when they tied the game at three, when Chandler Middlebrook (Auburndale, Fla./Auburndale High School) sent the ball over the wall in left.

Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer High School) starting the seventh with a single which McAvoy followed with another single. Jeanie Verderese (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside HS) would then advance the runners with a well placed sac bunt which was followed by Kelsey Carpenter (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) being intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. However, the game would be sent to extras after neither team could score in the seventh.

FGCU started strong in the top of the eighth after freshman Carissa LiCata (Okeechobee, Fla./Okeechobee High School) was placed on second due to the international tie break rule which places a runner on second in extra innings. She would then be advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt from Emily Demurias (Miami, Fla./Killian High School). LiCata would then score on a two out error on the McNeese shortstop when Chrstine Marino (Miami, Fla./Hialeah Miami Lakes HS/ Bryan College) put the ball in play. 

McNeese State ended the game in the bottom half of the eighth as Dakota Mitiko hit a walk-off three-run homer to left field.

The Eagles sent Shelby Morgan (High Springs, Fla./Sante Fe HS) to the circle for her first start of the season against McNeese State. The senior pitched four innings, gave up three earned runs, seven hits and one walk. Gabbee Draney (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep High School) entered the game to start the fifth and gave up three earned runs, two hits, two strikeouts and two walks with one being intentional. 

GAME TWO
Ashley Dobson (Wheatfield, Ind./Kankakee Valley High School) made her first career start for the Eagles in the second game of the afternoon against HBU and helped FGCU to a 6-4 to win. Dobson pitched six innings and allowed four runs, three earned runs, five hits and struck out seven batters to pick up her first win of the season.

Houston Baptist took an early lead in the first inning when Victoria Granchelli led-off the inning with a walk before being sacrificed over to second. Dobson then struck out Nicole Shedd who reached first on a pass ball which also allowed Granchelli to advance to third. Shedd then attempted to steal second base when Kasandra Castle (Lake Worth, Fla./Palm Beach Central High School) threw the ball into the hitters bat which allowed Granchelli to score on the error from Castle. 

The Eagles would answer in the top of the third inning when senior Kelsey Carpenter hit a towering homer over the left field wall. The Green and Blue had more chances to score in the inning, but freshman Emily Demurias struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning. The Huskies did not back away from the challenge as they scored in the bottom half. After two singles, Alyssa Burnett doubled down the right field line to give them a 3-1 advantage.

Middlebrook drove in McAvoy in the top of the fourth to make the score 3-2 before Ross drove in Carpenter on a blooper to right to tie the game at three all.  The Eagles would not stop there as they scored again in the sixth and seventh inning. Carpenter reached base in the sixth on a two out bunt single. Middlebrook followed with her second homerun on the day when she hit a two run bomb to straight-away center. Pinch-hitter Huff reached base in the seventh after being hit with a pitch and then stole second two pitches later. Demurias would redeem her strikeout by driving in Huff with two outs for an important insurance run.

Houston Baptist struck early in the bottom of the seventh when Granchelli hit a solo homerun to the right field corner. Sophomore Taylor Wade (Pace, Fla./Pace HS) entered the game for the Green and Blue following that and worked herself into and out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out the last batter to get her first save of the season and the first win of the year for the Eagles.

FGCU will resume play at the Sand Dollar Classic on Saturday, March 6 when they play Alabama at 4 p.m. and Houston at 7 p.m.

THE SAND DOLLAR CLASSIC
The 2015 NCAA Sand Dollar Classic features 12 NCAA Division I softball programs at the Gulf Shores SportPlex Feb. 5 through 8.  Some of the top college teams and players in the country will be competing against each other throughout the four-day event.  The tournament is hosted by The Fieldhouse, an indoor baseball and softball training facility located in Daphne, Ala., in conjunction with the City of Gulf Shores and the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Sports Commission.
 
THE SCHEDULE

Friday, Feb. 6
McNeese State 6 FGCU 4             8 INN.
FGCU 6 Houston Baptist 4

Saturday, Feb. 7
4 p.m. #3 Alabama vs. FGCU
7 p.m. Houston vs. FGCU

Sunday, Feb. 8
1 p.m. Southern Mississippi vs. FGCU

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 .699 (490-211-3). 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.