FORT MYERS, Fla. – Behind a 4-for-4 day from the plate from senior designated hitter Nick Rivera, the FGCU baseball team (7-9) wrapped up its four-game series versus Quinnipiac (5-7) with a 10-3 win in the series finale Sunday afternoon at Swanson Stadium.

After FGCU scored three runs in the bottom of the first, Quinnipiac chipped its way back into the game and tied the score at 3-3 with a run in the third, fourth and fifth innings. However, the FGCU bats came alive from that point on as the Eagles outhit the Bobcats 8-4 and plated seven runs in the final four frames. Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) matched a career high with four hits in the game and added his second home run of the season and the weekend with a solo shot to center field in the home half of the eighth.

Right hander Mario Leon (1-1, 4.19) earned the win after allowing three runs on three hits with five walks and a career-high seven strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched. Christian Townsend (Safety Harbor, Fla./Countryside HS) and Garrison Vandeventer (Ocala, Fla./North Marian HS)¸ who each made their second relief appearance of the weekend, combined to pitch the final 4.0 innings in scoreless fashion as they allowed only four baserunners. Vandeventer allowed two hits while striking out three and earned the three-inning save for FGCU.

Opposite the Green and Blue pitching staff, Taylor Luciani suffered the loss after giving up five runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched.

"It feels good to get the series win under our belts," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "Our bats were where we expected them to be for much of the weekend, and that's going to big key for us for the majority of the season. We struggled with a little bit of control issues early on, but I was very happy with the way Christian and Garrison pitched out of the bullpen."

The Eagles stepped to the plate in the home half of the first inning and immediately took a 3-0 lead as the first six batters reached base. However, after a mound visit from pitching coach Pat Egan with the bases loaded and nobody out, Luciani retired the next three hitters in the inning to minimize the damage. The Bobcat right hander then held FGCU hitless in the next three frames while Quinnipiac chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the game on a RBI double from Joseph Burns in the top of the fifth.
 
FGCU jumped back out in front with a run in each of the next two innings. Rivera and Corey Fehribach (Douglasville, Ga./West Georgia CC) hit back-to-back, two-out doubles to left field to reclaim the lead in the fifth before the Eagles manufactured a run to extend its lead to 5-3 in the sixth. Pinch hitter Tyler Selesky (Estero, Fla./Estero HS) led off the inning with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) before Jake Noll (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) drove him in on a one-out single to left field.

The Green and Blue then sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Selesky drove in Rivera on a single through the right side of the infield before Zach Spivey (Ormond Beach, Fla./Spruce Creek HS) just beat the tag at home on a safety squeeze attempt from Morey. Two batters later, Noll drove in two more on a single that bounced over the head of the third baseman and ran Quinnipiac reliever Matthew Lorenzetti from the game after only recording one out. Rivera capped of the FGCU scoring with his solo home run in eighth inning.

GAME NOTES
- FGCU wrapped up the four-game set vs. Quinnipiac having scored 37 runs on 46 hits.
- It was the Eagles second straight series win after dropping their first two weekend series at No. 1 Florida and versus defending Big Ten Champion Illinois.
- Individually, Noll finished the weekend 10-for-20 (.500) from the plate with eight runs, three home runs and 14 RBI. He extended his hit streak to 14 games and his on-base streak to 26 games dating back to last season Sunday.
- Rivera added a pair of home runs of his own, the 25th and 26th of his career, and now sits in sole possession of third place in the FGCU record books. He went 8-for-17 (.471) with five RBI in the four-game series.
- Bottomley (.474) and Fehribach (.429) also posted .400-plus batting averages on the weekend.

UP NEXT
FGCU has a quick turnaround before they are right back at Swanson Stadium for a two-game, midweek series against Rutgers (6-8) on Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The Eagles are 0-2 all-time against the Scarlet Knights after dropping a pair of games in 2012.

DAVE TOLLETT
In 13+ seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 470-273-3 record (.632) 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.