GAINESVILLE, Fla – After taking a two-run lead following a four-run third inning, the FGCU baseball team (0-2) failed to hold on and was ultimately defeated, 8-4, by the No. 1 Florida Gators (2-0) Saturday evening at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.

Senior outfielder Colton Bottomley (Parkland, Fla./Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS) provided what was then the big hit for the Eagles with a two-out, two-RBI single off the left field wall, giving FGCU a 4-2 lead at the time. However, FGCU was held hitless with only three Eagles reaching base while Florida registered six runs from that point forward. Starting pitcher Sterling Koerner (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS) suffered the loss for the Green and Blue while freshman Brady Singer earned the win for Florida.

"The big inning hurt us again tonight," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "I thought our guys were locked into the game early, but that focus seemed to slip away in the later stages. This game is about having a short memory, and we'll be right back at it again tomorrow."

Florida took a two-run lead into the top of the third inning before FGCU capitalized on a pair of defensive miscues to tie the score at two runs apiece. Center fielder Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) reached on a throwing error by starting pitcher A.J. Puk to begin the frame and advanced to third when freshman Ryan Shinn (Jobstown, N.J./Northern Burlington HS) laced a single past a diving Jonathan India at third base. Morey then came in to score as second baseman Jake Noll (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) hit a slow roller to India, who let the ball trickle under his glove. With runners on the corners and one out, designated hitter Nick Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) drove in Shinn on a RBI single to left field to tie the score. Two batters later, Bottomley drove in a pair on his two-out single.  

Florida narrowed the FGCU advantage to one with a run in the fourth inning when a sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of India scored Ryan Larson. Then, the Gators reclaimed the lead with a three-run sixth inning. The Gators' big hit came on a one-out, two-RBI triple from second basemen Deacon Liput that pushed Florida ahead and ran Koerner from the game. With right-hander Garrett Anderson (Arcadia, Fla./DeSoto County HS) replacing the FGCU starter, Liput scored on a RBI groundout from India to give Florida a 6-4 advantage.

The following inning, Florida added two more runs to push its lead to four. Catcher JJ Schwarz hit a leadoff triple and later scored on a double from Jeremy Vasquez, who then scored on a double off the bat of Larson.

The Gators received major production from their 7-8-9 hitters as the trio of Larson, Lupit and India totaled seven hits, seven RBI and four runs. Shinn, Rivera, Bottomley and Matt Reardon (Palm City, Fla./Martin County HS), who left the game in the third inning with an apparent knee injury, registered hits for FGCU.

On the mound, Koerner surrendered six runs on 10 hits with one walk in 5.1 innings pitched, while Anderson yielded two runs on five hits in 2.2 innings of work. Koerner's counterpart, Puk, allowed four runs (zero earned) with one walk and six strikeouts in 4.0 innings. Singer and relievers Nick Horvath and Frank Rubio combined to throw the final 5.0 hitless innings of the game.

The third and final game of the series is scheduled for tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium. Making his first start since undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 2014, Mario Leon (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) is scheduled to toe the rubber for FGCU and will be opposed by Florida sophomore Alex Faedo.

NEXT UP
Following its showdown with No. 1 Florida, FGCU travels to Tampa for a mid-week matchup with USF on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. The Bulls not only represent the Eagles' second-consecutive game against an in-state rival, but also their second-straight opponent to make the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
 
DAVE TOLLETT
In 13 seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 463-264-3 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 39 All-Conference selections, 25 draft picks, 16 current minor leaguers, four A-Sun Pitchers of the Year, four All-Americans, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one MLB All-Star.

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.