JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (16-14, 1-1 Atlantic Sun Conference) split its doubleheader with North Florida (17-11, 1-1 Atlantic Sun Conference) on Saturday afternoon to open up A-Sun play. The Eagles exploded for 12 runs in the first game and won by a 12-2 count before falling in the second game by a score of 4-2.
In game one, junior
Ashley Dobson (Wheatfield, Ind./Kankakee Valley HS) earned the complete-game victory to improve her record to 7-2 on the season. Dobson allowed six hits, two runs with one walk and four strike outs. Freshman
Brittany McGuire (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) went 1-for-3 with her lone hit being a grand slam in the third inning. Senior
Kelsey Carpenter (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) added two RBI off of two hits while freshman
Chandler Middlebrook (Auburndale, Fla./Auburndale HS) added a two-run triple.
In game two, freshman
Michaela Hynes (Windermere, Fla./West Orange High School) knocked in the Eagles only runs of the game with a two-run single to left center in the seventh inning.
"Today was a nice introduction to Atlantic Sun Conference play for our young team," said head coach
David Deiros. "We dominated game one and UNF did a good job taking it to us in game two. We will regroup and be ready for the rubber game tomorrow afternoon."
GAME ONEThe Ospreys could only score two runs in the game, coming off of six hits with their runs coming after the Green and Blue had taken a 12-0 lead after five innings.
The Eagles scored one in the first inning to get on the board against UNF. Freshman
Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) led off the game for FGCU as she reached on a walk. Junior
Makensie McAvoy (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) then reached and advanced Huff to third with a single to right center. Huff then scored when Carpenter hit into a double play.
FGCU then exploded for 10 runs in the third inning to put the game out of reach for the Ospreys. After a single and a walk to get McAvoy and Carpenter on first and second, Middlebrook tripled down the right-field line to start the offensive outburst in the inning. Junior
Alexis Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) then reached via the walk and moved over to second on a groundout. The Ospreys pitcher then allowed Middlebrook to score and Ross to advance to third on an illegal pitch. On a 2-2 count, sophomore
Jeanie Verderese (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside HS) doubled to center, scoring Ross from third. After freshman
Natalie Lopez (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS) and Huff reached to load the bases, McAvoy singled to center with Verderese scoring on the play. Carpenter reached on a walk to score Lopez from third. McGuire then stepped to the plate and drove the first pitch she saw over the right center field fence for a grand slam.
The Green and Blue added their final run in the fifth inning when Carpenter drove the ball into center field for an RBI single.
GAME TWOSenior
Shelby Morgan (High Springs, Fla./Sante Fe HS) took the circle in the second game of the day against the Ospreys. The senior pitched six innings, allowing 11 hits, four earned runs, walked three and struck out two.
UNF scored four runs during the game with the major damage coming in the first inning when they scored two runs off of three hits.
The Eagles only runs of the game came in the top of the seventh inning when Hynes drove the ball into left center for a pinch-hit single that scored freshman
Emily Demurias (Miami, Fla./Killian HS) and McGuire on the play.
The Eagles will play the rubber match of the series against UNF on Sunday, Mar. 15 with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
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 is in 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 .691 (505-225-3). 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.
