SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Three outs away from completing a series sweep over USC Upstate, the FGCU softball team dropped a 5-4 decision in 10 innings to the defending A-Sun champions Saturday. The Eagles led 3-0 heading into the seventh, but the Spartans tallied three in the seventh and one in the ninth and tenth to secure the win. The Eagles are now 18-17 overall and 2-1 in the A-Sun while the Spartans are now 28-6 and 3-3 in conference play.

The Eagles took a 1-0 lead after the first inning and plated two more runs in the fifth. The Spartans tied the game in the seventh and were forced to do so again in the ninth after FGCU scored on a Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) sacrifice fly. The Spartans tied the game in the ninth and scored the winner in the tenth, preventing FGCU from completing the sweep.

Huff led off the game with a bunt single and later scored on a Louie Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) bunt single. Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) continued to stifle the Spartans, holding the home side to three hits through five innings, keeping FGCU in front.

In the top of the fifth, Natalie Lopez (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS) led off the inning with a single and moved to the third on an error. The sophomore would later score on a Huff sacrifice fly to double the Eagle lead to 2-0. Makensie McAvoy (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) then stepped to the plate and singled up the middle. Ross later brought her in on a ground out, giving FGCU a 3-0 lead.

The Spartans threatened with a triple with one out in the sixth, but Randolph left her there as the game moved to the seventh. USC Upstate used three hits to tie the game but left the bases loaded as FGCU forced extra innings.

The Eagles scored in the ninth on another Huff sacrifice fly but the Spartans responded with a run in the ninth and another in the tenth to come away with the 5-4 win.
McAvoy tallied three hits in the loss, including her sixth triple of the season. Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) and Ross each hit two hits. Randolph tossed 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Ashley Dobson (Wheatfield, Ind./Tallahassee Community College/Kankakee Valley HS) pitched 0.1 innings, giving up two runs on one hit and Gabbee Draney (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep HS) threw two innings, allowing one run on four hits.

UP NEXT
The Eagles remain on the road, heading to Nashville for a three-game set with Nashville beginning April 2 at 2 p.m.

FOLLOW ALONG
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.
 
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 .673 (530-259-3). 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 CAUSE
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 visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.