ORLANDO, Fla. – The FGCU softball team split on the second day of the UCF Spring Fling Friday, defeating Indiana State 5-1 before falling to No. 25 UCF 5-3. The Eagles are now 13-10 in 2016, while UCF stands at 18-8 and Indiana State is now 3-11.
Following a tough evening to open the UCF Spring Fling, the Eagles took an early lead against the Indiana State Sycamores on a
Louie Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) RBI single in the first. FGCU tacked on another run in the second as Ross drew a bases loaded walk.
Brittany McGuire (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra Beach HS) then added an insurance run in the third, hitting her first home run of the season as
Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) scattered seven hits through six innings, allowing one run in that span to keep FGCU in front. Leading 5-1,
Gabbee Draney (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep HS) entered in the seventh to close out the win for FGCU with the sophomore working around two Eagle errors.
After falling 8-0 to UCF yesterday, the Eagles put on an impressive display Friday. Draney got the start, allowing one hit through three innings before getting into trouble in the fourth. A five-run fourth proved to be the difference, but the Eagles bounced back late. In the sixth, a
Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) double scored two runs to cut the deficit to 5-2. Then in the seventh, McGuire hit her second home run to make it 5-3. FGCU was unable to complete the comeback however, falling 5-3.
"Our team responded positively today with a win over a very scrappy Indiana State team," said head coach
David Deiros. "We continue to be our own worst enemy in our losses but I'm very encouraged by the competitive fire we showed in our second game against UCF. I'm eager to see how we compete tomorrow morning against two tough teams."
FGCU 5, INDIANA STATE 1Makensie McAvoy (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) hit her fourth triple of the season with one out in the first to put Indiana State immediately under pressure. Ross followed with an RBI single and moved to second after
Chandler Middlebrook (Auburndale, Fla./Auburndale HS) was hit by a pitch. Both Ross and Middlebrook were left on the bases however as the game moved into the bottom of the first.
Randolph had to work out of her own jam in the bottom half, with the Sycamores putting two on with two out in the inning. The freshman forced a pop out though to end the frame.
FGCU threatened again in the second, loading the bases on a walk, a hit batter and a
Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) bunt single. Ross stepped into the box with two outs in the inning and patiently drew a walk to score
Morgan Sutherland (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier High School), making it 2-0 in favor of the Eagles. Looking for more, Middlebrook hit a line drive but it was caught by Shaye Barton at second to prevent further damage.
McGuire made it 3-0 Eagles in the third, hitting her first home run of the season over the center field wall.
Jeanie Verderese (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside HS) then tallied an infield single and moved to second following a Sutherland walk. With two outs in the inning, Huff singled, scoring Verderese to put FGCU in front 4-0.
Indiana State pulled a run back in the third on consecutive one-out base hits, but Randolph forced the Sycamores to leave two runners on as she closed out the inning. She would later allow a hit in the fourth and fifth innings, before giving way to
Ashley Dobson (Wheatfield, Ind./Tallahassee Community College/Kankakee Valley HS) in the sixth as the Eagles maintained their 4-1 advantage.
Dobson allowed the first two runners to reach in the inning, sending Randolph back into the game. After a line out, an infield single loaded the bases. Randolph was up to the task, forcing an infield fly before striking out the final batter of the inning to keep the 4-1 lead intact.
The Eagles weren't done, scoring on an RBI double by
Bree Tourtillott (Dixon, Ill./Tallahassee Community College/Oregon HS) after a leadoff walk, pushing the lead to 5-1. Draney entered the contest in the seventh, striking out one while working around two errors in the inning to close out the win.
Randolph worked six total innings, scattering seven hits to improve to 5-2 on the year. Dobson faced two batters in the sixth but did not record an out. Draney tossed the final inning, allowing just one single.
Huff finished the day 3-for-4 from the plate with an RBI and a stolen base while Ross drove in a pair of runs to lead FGCU offensively.
FGCU 3, No. 25 UCF 5 Draney earned the start for the Eagles and limited the Knights to just one hit through three innings. After working around a leadoff walk to begin the game, Draney kept the UCF offense at bay, keeping a leadoff single on the bases in the second as FGCU searched for its first hit.
In the fourth however, the Knights took advantage an error while stringing together four hits to take a 5-0 lead. During the fourth,
Taylor Wade (Pace, Fla./Pace HS) came on to relieve Draney and the junior kept the damage at a minimum, sending FGCU into the fifth trailing 5-0.
McGuire hit a one-out double to left center to give FGCU its first hit and moved to third on a wild pitch, but would not advance the final 60 feet.
The Eagles threatened again in the sixth, as Verderese reached on an error and moved around to third on a
Carissa LiCata (Okeechobee, Fla./Okeechobee HS) single. After Ross walked to load the bases, Fournet delivered a double to left, scoring two runs. Ross attempted to score on the play but was out at the plate.
Wade continued to keep the Knights offense off the board, keeping the deficit manageable heading into the seventh. McGuire hit a home run to lead off the frame but the Eagles could not close the gap any further, falling 5-3.
McGuire tallied two hits including her second home run of the day to lead the Eagles from the plate. Draney was hit with the loss, tossing 3.2 innings allowing five runs on five hits to fall to 3-2 this season. Wade pitched the final 1.2 innings, allowing just one hit.
UP NEXTThe Eagles conclude play at the UCF Spring Fling Saturday with back-to-back contests. FGCU meets Lehigh at 9 a.m. followed by a game with the Utah Utes.
FOLLOW ALONGFor 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.
COACH DEIROS The founding father of FGCU softball,
David Deiros enters his 14th 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 .676 (525-252-3). The 2015 Eagles finished with a 23-30 record and wins over Atlantic 10, Southland, AAC and ACC opponents. 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.
SUPPORT THE CAUSEFGCU 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 visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
