FORT MYERS, Fla. – With the season on the line, a pair of clutch hits sent the FGCU softball team into the Atlantic Sun Championship Final. The top-seeded Eagles (32-26) were no-hit for the second time this season, suffering a 3-0 loss to No. 2 seed USC Upstate (41-13) to open Day Three of the A-Sun Championships. The Green and Blue then capped the day with a 4-1 victory over No. 4 seed Kennesaw State (30-28) to secure a rematch with the Spartans in the championship. The Eagles and Spartans play for the automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament Saturday at 1 p.m.

With Upstate's win over FGCU Friday, the Eagles will need to defeat the defending tournament champions twice on Saturday in the double-elimination tournament.

The Eagles began the day with a 3-0 loss to the No. 2 seed in the tournament, USC Upstate. Despite a few hard-hit line drives, the Eagles were no-hit in the contest as the Spartans clinched a spot in the A-Sun Tournament championship, forcing FGCU to play in the later day.

Tied at one entering the bottom of the fifth inning against the Owls, Makensie McAvoy (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) delivered an RBI double down the right field line to plate Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS). One inning later, Michaela Hynes (Windermere, Fla./West Orange HS) came through with a pinch-hit double to right plating another two runs. The Eagles closed out the 4-1 win and the right to play for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"Without taking anything away from (Holly) McKinnon, who I think pitched fantastically, we did not stick to what we were trying to do early in the game," said head coach David Deiros. "We kind of gathered ourselves in about the fifth inning and we had three solid innings of offense but you have to give credit to their defense in those last three innings. The first four innings were McKinnon and the last three was the defense. I told our team I was extremely impressed to keep it at 3-0 because it could have been a lot more. In the second game I don't think we did a good job responding and we frustrated ourselves. It was a team effort and we did a nice job."

NO. 2 USC UPSTATE 3, NO. 1 FGCU 0
In a battle of the top-two teams from the regular season, USC Upstate tallied a run in the first following a leadoff triple and a ground out against Ashley Dobson (Wheatfield, Ind./Tallahassee Community College/Kankakee Valley HS). The senior forced two more ground balls to end the inning and limit the damage.

Another Upstate run in the second put the Spartans in front 2-0 before Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) became FGCU's first baserunner against Holly McKinnon, drawing a walk to begin the bottom half of the second. The freshman was left on the bases following a strikeout and two ground outs.

Dobson was removed following a one-out single and a walk in the third, prompting the introduction of Taylor Wade (Pace, Fla./Pace HS). The junior walked one to load the bases and allowed a run on a ground out but kept the deficit at three. The gap would remain steady with Wade retiring 11 of the 12 batters she faced after the walk.

The right-hander got into a jam in the seventh, loading the bases with nobody out in the inning. Gabbee Draney (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep HS) then entered and got out of the inning unscathed.

McAvoy drew FGCU's second walk of the game to lead off the seventh but the senior was stranded despite a line drive off the bat of Carissa LiCata (Okeechobee, Fla./Okeechobee HS) to end the game.

Dobson suffered the loss, allowing three runs on five hits over 2.1 innings with one walk. Wade worked the middle 3.2 innings, scattering four hits and striking out two. Draney tossed the final inning, working a perfect frame.

NO. 1 FGCU 4, NO. 4 KENNESAW STATE 1
FGCU bounced back from its earlier defeat, scoring on an RBI fielder's choice from Louie Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker HS). Huff had scored on the play after leading off the inning with a single back up the middle.

Wade kept the Owls off the board through the first two innings but conceded the tying run in the top of the third on an RBI single. The junior limited the damage with a pop out and a ground out to end the inning.

The right-hander got into a jam in the fifth after retiring seven consecutive batters. Draney entered with runners at second and third and only one out in the inning, but induced a ground out and a pop out around an intentional walk to end the frame.

With momentum on their side, the Eagles took advantage of a two-out error, allowing Huff to reach and take second. McAvoy immediately turned on the first pitch of her at bat, doubling down the line in right to score Huff.

The Eagles had an opportunity to increase their lead in the sixth, putting the first two runners on base. Fournet and LuLu Newmark (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Bowling Green/American Heritage HS) reached to lead off the inning for FGCU and moved to second and third. With two outs in the inning and runners at the corners, Hynes delivered a clutch, pinch-hit double to right center plating both runners to make it 4-1.

Randolph finished off the win with a pair of pop outs around a strikeout for her fourth save of the season. Draney earned the win, tossing 0.2 innings conceding a single walk in that time. Wade ended the day with 4.1 innings of work, allowing one unearned run with one walk and a strikeout.

UP NEXT
The Eagles face another must-win tomorrow at 1 p.m. against the No. 2 seed USC Upstate Spartans. Should FGCU defeat Upstate, the Green and Blue will have to defeat the Spartans again in order to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four seasons.

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 (544-267-3). 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.