NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After scoring a pair of runs in the eighth and ninth innings to take a 4-3 lead, the FGCU baseball team (22-26, 7-9 A-Sun) suffered a heart-breaking loss to Lipscomb (26-23, 9-7 A-Sun) as the Bisons won, 5-4, in walk-off fashion Friday night at Dugan Field.
 
With one out and a runner on second base, Lipscomb three-hole hitter Adam Lee hit a two-run home run to left field to give Lipscomb the walk-off win. Garrett Anderson (1-2, 6.30) suffered the loss for FGCU after entering the game in replace of an injured Sterling Koerner (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS), who took a comebacker off the knee earlier in the inning.
 
Opposite the FGCU staff, Jaesung Hwang (2-1, 6.00) earned the win after replacing Bisons starter Brady Puckett with one out in the ninth inning. Hwang allowed the go-ahead run to score in the Eagles final at-bat, which was charged to Puckett, but Lee let them both off the hook with his walk-off homer.
 
"That's a tough one to lose," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "We're both neck-and-neck in the conference and played that way for the entirety of the game. We just came out on the wrong end of it tonight."
 
In a back and forth affair, both teams got on the scoreboard in the opening frame as Matt Reardon (Palm City, Fla./Martin County HS) hit a leadoff single and later scored on passed ball by Lipscomb catcher Chucky Vazquez.
 
However, the Bisons answered right back as the first two batters reached and advanced into scoring position on a balk from FGCU starter Brady Anderson (Arcadia, Fla./DeSoto County HS). With one out, Zeke Dodson then hit a RBI groundout to shortstop to tie the score at one.
 
FGCU reclaimed its early lead in the top of the fourth after Colton Bottomley (Parkland, Fla./Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS) hit a leadoff double and scored two batters later on Gage Morey's (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) sacrifice fly to right field.
 
Again, though, Lipscomb responded and took its first lead of the game with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as they capitalized on a pair of FGCU fielding miscues. Allan Hooker hit a dribbler in front of the plate that was fielded and thrown away by catcher Matt Roberts (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch HS) before Vazquez brought him in on a double down the left-field line. After being sacrificed to third, Vazquez scored on a failed pickoff attempt from Brady Anderson to give the Bisons a 3-2 lead.
 
FGCU fought back to tie the score in the top of the eighth after Jake Noll (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) led off the inning with a triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Selesky (Estero, Fla./Estero HS).
 
Then, in a critical turn of events in the home half of the eighth, Morey gunned down the potential go-ahead run in the form of pinch runner Quinn Moynihan at the plate with a perfect throw from center field on a single up the middle from Hooker.
 
After Morey kept the score tied with a defensive highlight, he hit a one-out single in the top of the ninth and later gave the Eagles their third lead of the ballgame as he scored from second on Reardon's clutch two-out single through the right side of the infield.
 
However, the FGCU bullpen couldn't close it out after Koerner left the game with one out in the final frame and Anderson (Arcadia, Fla./DeSoto County HS) replaced him before giving up the homer to Lee.
 
Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for 3 p.m. tomorrow when FGCU will take a by-committee approach with their start still to be determined to take on Lipscomb starter Jeffrey Passantino (5-3, 3.16).

DAVE TOLLETT
In 13+ seasons of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 485-290-3 record (.625) 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.