BOX SCORE (PDF)
WP | Josh Thorne (4-1): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
LP | Nick Deckert (3-1): 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

DELAND, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (27-23-1, 10-8 A-Sun) battled back to tie the game at five on Thursday night but Stetson (27-27, 11-8 A-Sun) piled on six runs over the final two frames to take a lead that proved too large for the Green and Blue. The Eagles scored three runs in the ninth but would go down by a score of 11-8. Game two of the series will take place tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m.

"We battled tonight but in the end we couldn't keep them off the base paths," head coach Dave Tollett said. "The offense was there but they did their part to create opportunities for themselves. We just need to come out with a better effort tomorrow."

The Eagle bats were firing on all cylinders on Thursday night. At the top of the order Matt Reardon (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) went 3-4 with pair of runs scored while Tyler Selesky (Estero, Fla./Estero HS) and Zach Spivey (Ormond Beach, Fla./Spruce Creek HS) each tallied two hits. Selesky hit the first homerun of his career in the top of the first to put the Eagles on the scoreboard first. Jake Noll (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) hit his second long ball of the season in the ninth, driving in two. Four other Eagles would register at least one hit but six runners would be left on base.

Nick Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) went 1-4 with four RBI giving him 63 for the season and making him the ninth player in program history to register at least 60 in a single-year. The junior continues to inch closer to the FGCU single-season RBI record of 74 set by Jason Louwsma in 2006.

Mike Murray (West Palm Beach, Fla./Forrest Hill HS) took the hill for FGCU to make his 14th start of the season and would go 3.0 innings, giving up six hits and four runs while striking out two. He would not factor in the decision despite leaving the game in a 4-1 hole. Nick Deckert (Tallahassee, Fla./Tallahassee CC) took over and threw the next four frames, giving up five hits and allowing three runs to take his first loss of the season. Garrett Anderson (Arcadia, Fla./DeSoto HS) gave up four more runs in his one inning of relief.

FGCU struck first in the top of the first when Selesky homered with one out but Stetson would answer in the bottom half. The Hatters led off with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and third with no outs. A stolen base put two runners in scoring position with one out for Mackenzie who grounded out for the second out of the inning, scoring one run. Murray would work out of the first with no further damage.

Stetson scored twice in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Then in the bottom of the third, Murray would surrender a leadoff walk and a stolen base with one out. A ground ball moved the runner over to third and with two away the runner would come in to score on a wild pitch making it a 4-1 ball game.

With Deckert now on the mound the Hatters scored one more run in the top of the fourth to make it 5-1 and the game would remain at that score until the top of the seventh when FGCU came to the plate. With one out, Blake Berger (Jacksonville, Fla./Santa Fe College) singled through the right side. Adam Eggnatz (Tampa, Fla./Middle Georgia College) reached on a fielder's choice that retired Berger at second for the second out and Brady Anderson (Arcadia, Fla./DeSoto HS) followed with a single up the middle, putting runners on the corners. Reardon and Selesky followed with walks to bring in a run and load the bases for Rivera who cooked a triple, his first of the season, to center, clearing the bags and tying the game.

Stetson responded in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of runs and added four more off of Garrett in the eight to secure the lead of the rest of the game. FGCU rallied for three runs in the ninth but it would be enough as the Green and Blue fell 11-8.  

ATLANTIC SUN STANDINGS
#1 *North Florida, 15-4 (41-13)
*Lipscomb, 11-8 (33-18)
*Stetson, 11-8 (27-27)
*FGCU, 10-8 (27-23-1)
*Jacksonville, 10-9 (24-28)
*Kennesaw State, 9-9 (27-25)
Northern Kentucky, 5-14 (17-32)
USC Upstate, 4-15 (15-36)

*Clinched a spot in the A-Sun Championship
Top six teams advance to A-Sun Championship­­­

ATLANTIC SUN CHAMPIONSHIP
The Eagles will once again host the Atlantic Sun Championship Tournament at Swanson Stadium this season. The event is set to take place May 20-23 and the top six teams in the standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the championship and compete in a double-elimination style tournament to determine the A-Sun's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles are four-time A-Sun Regular Season Champions with the most recent title coming in 2014.

DAVE TOLLETT
In 12+ seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 461-260-3 record as the only head coach in the program's history. He is a four-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to four A-Sun Regular Season Championships. His team has been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets and has coached 35 All-Conference selections, 22 draft picks, 16 current minor leaguers, four A-Sun Pitchers of the Year, three All-Americans, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one MLB All-Star.

#WINGSUP
Fans are encouraged to download the brand-new Wings Up mobile app in conjunction with SuperFanU. The fully-customized loyalty-rewards platform allows fans to check in at each of FGCU's sporting events to earn points throughout the school year toward exclusive prizes that can't be offered anywhere else.

FOLLOW ALONG
For constant, news, photos, videos and updates you can follow the baseball team on Twitter @FGCU_Baseball, Instagram @FGCU_Baseball or on Facebook: Facebook.com/FGCUBaseball. You can also find FGCU athletics on YouTube by visiting YouTube.com/FGCUEagles.

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.