NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Early in the conference season, the FGCU softball team looks to create a gap between itself and the bulk of the Atlantic Sun when it travels to Lipscomb this weekend. The Eagles are currently in a tie for first place with Kennesaw State, however the Owls hold a temporary tiebreaker with four wins in conference play compared to the two posted by the Eagles. With only one loss, FGCU holds at least a two-game lead over everyone else in the conference excluding the Owls.

The three-game series against the Bisons is set to begin with a Saturday doubleheader at 2 p.m. The finale is slated for 2 p.m. on Sunday. Live stats will be provided through LipscombSports.com and every contest will be streamed live on ESPN3.

FRESH IMPACT
One of the biggest reasons for FGCU's success this season has been the performances of Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) and Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School). Deservedly, the duo earned A-Sun Pitcher and Player of the Week after leading the Eagles to a series win over the defending A-Sun champions USC Upstate while coming three outs away from a clean sweep of the Spartans.

At the plate, Fournet is leading the conference with a .394 average after bursting onto the scene the third weekend of the season. While her average has fallen slightly from a season-high .523, her impact is still being felt. Trailing 4-3 against Iowa State on March 19, the Windermere-native turned on the first pitch in the bottom of the seventh, sending a line drive just inside the right field foul pole to give the Eagles a 5-4 win. She followed with a home run in both ends of the conference-opening doubleheader against the Spartans, collecting four RBIs. 

Fournet's 33 RBIs this season is the third-most all-time by a freshman at FGCU, trailing only Erin Ogden (37) and Cheyenne Jenks (41).

Randolph has consistently kept her ERA under 2.00 en route to a team-best seven wins. Randolph's consistency has also put her at the top of the A-Sun with a 1.49 ERA. From February 25 to March 12, Randolph tallied six wins in seven starts including a three-hit shutout against Lehigh. Her only loss in that span came against No. 21/25 Notre Dame. Against USC Upstate, the emerging ace shut down the Spartans, conceding just two runs on 10 hits over 13.2 innings of work.

While the St. Petersburg-native has not hit the minimum 100 inning mark this season, her 1.49 ERA would place her sixth all-time in the single season record book should it remain. In addition, it would be the lowest ERA posted by a freshman in FGCU history.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
For the first time, FGCU came away with a pair of wins in Spartanburg, S.C., putting FGCU in a tie for first place in the A-Sun. The Eagles came within three outs of a sweep, but the Spartans produced a late rally before winning on an error in the tenth inning of the finale. Randolph paved the way for FGCU to take the opener, tossing a four-hit shutout while Fournet and Louie Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) provided the run support with a pair of home runs in a 3-0 FGCU victory.

The offense tallied 10 runs for FGCU in the second game as the Eagles run-ruled the Spartans 10-2 in five innings. Another Fournet home run, a pair of RBIs from LuLu Newmark (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Bowling Green/American Heritage HS) and four more from Michaela Hynes (Windermere, Fla./West Orange HS) backed up a strong performance from Taylor Wade (Pace, Fla./Pace HS). The junior allowed two runs over four innings while Ashley Dobson (Wheatfield, Ind./Tallahassee Community College/Kankakee Valley HS) closed the door in the seventh by striking out the side.

FGCU led 3-0 heading into the seventh inning of the finale but a three-run rally forced extra innings before the Spartans finished the game off in the 10th on an error.

SCOUTING THE BISONS
Lipscomb is two games behind the Eagles in the loss column, entering the weekend 3-3 after facing USC Upstate and Jacksonville. The Bisons took the second game against the Spartans and then took two-of-three against the Dolphins through the first two weekends. Similar to FGCU, Lipscomb is 18-17 overall however the Bisons enter the weekend having lost three-straight.

Sarah Higgins is the league's second-best hitter in terms of average, entering the weekend at .381. Higgins has also hit nine home runs and driven in 27 to lead the team in all categories. Brittany Elmore has tallied 14 RBIs this season along with two triples and Abby Fenichel is second on the team with six doubles and 20 RBIs to highlight the Bisons offense.

Lipscomb returns every starter from 2015 including Kelly Young, a First Team All-Atlantic Sun selection from a year ago. After earning 18 wins in 2015, Young has tallied eight wins in 2016 with a 3.42 ERA and 123 strike outs over 92 innings. Tanner Sanders has pitched 115.1 innings while also earning eight wins with a 2.00 ERA.

The Eagles are 7-12 all-time against the Bisons. After FGCU won six of the first nine meetings, Lipscomb has taken control of the overall series with nine wins in 10 attempts. The last win for FGCU came in 2014, a 5-3 result in Nashville.

UP NEXT
With two road series behind them, the Eagles come home to face the Stetson Hatters April 9 and 10. The three-game series between the Eagles and Hatters begins with a doubleheader at 2 p.m. April 9 and concludes April 10 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.