FORT MYERS, Fla. – Led by another dominant performance in the circle, the FGCU softball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 Atlantic Sun Softball Championships with a 2-0 victory over Kennesaw State Thursday afternoon. The Eagles improved to 31-25 in 2016 while the Owls fell to 28-27. The Green and Blue will play USC Upstate Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the FGCU Softball Complex for the right to play for the A-Sun Tournament title.

Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) was perfect through four innings and had a no-hitter into the sixth to pave the way for the Green and Blue in their first game of the 2016 A-Sun Championships. Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) got the offense going for FGCU with a leadoff single and then scored the first run in the third on an impressive base running display. The Eagles tallied another run in the fifth before Randolph closed out the game with her eighth strikeout with runners at first and second.

"That's a really nice effort by us considering that for everyone but four kids on our team that's their first A-Sun conference tournament," said head coach David Deiros. "This is a different environment than the regular season, and I think they performed extremely well under these circumstances. We broke the ice a little bit so hopefully it'll be a bit more relaxed tomorrow."

The Eagles took the lead on a smart base running move by Huff in the third inning after the left fielder reached by getting hit by a pitch. Makensie McAvoy (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) then reached with two outs on a bunt attempt when the throw from the third baseman went into right field. Huff rounded second, moved to third on the error and immediately took off for the plate when the pitcher exited the circle prior to throwing her next pitch.

The Green and Blue put two runners on in the fourth around a caught stealing but could not increase their lead at the time.

Randolph, the 2016 A-Sun Freshman and Pitcher of the Year, shut down the Owls, as she allowed only one baserunner through five innings on an error. In the bottom of the fifth, FGCU doubled its lead with an RBI single from McAvoy, scoring Natalie Lopez (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS). Kennesaw State would record its first hit in the sixth, but Louie Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS) proved her Player of the Year credentials, catching the baserunner too far off first after gathering a pop fly to end the inning.

After a quiet sixth for the Eagles, Randolph allowed consecutive singles to begin the seventh only to strike out two of the next three batters to complete the 2-0 victory. The freshman struck out eight batters against zero walks in her 16th win of the season.

Huff reached twice in the ballgame and scored a run. McAvoy, Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School), Chandler Middlebrook (Auburndale, Fla./Auburndale HS), Bree Tourtillott (Dixon, Ill./Tallahassee Community College/Oregon HS) and Lopez also tallied singles for FGCU.

The Eagles will meet the No. 2 seed USC Upstate Spartans Friday at 12:30 in the semifinals of the A-Sun Championships. The winner advances to the championship Saturday at 1 p.m. while the loser will play at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

A-SUN TOURNAMENT TICKETS
Tournament passes will be available for $15 for adults and $10 for youth (ages 3-12) and individual session tickets will be available for $7 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 3-12). No team pass lists will be accepted. Admission for all college students presenting a valid student ID from any A-Sun institution will be free. Children 2 years and under will be admitted free.

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 is in 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 .669 (543-266-3). 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.