FORT MYERS, Fla. – While offense provided the spark on the opening say of the 2017 season, the defense for the FGCU softball team carried the banner for the Green and Blue in two more wins for the Eagles over LIU-Brooklyn Saturday. FGCU earned two run-rule victories, a 9-1 contest to open the day and an 8-0 finale to end the weekend, to run its record to 4-0 on the year while LIU fell to 0-4.

"What's really exciting for me over the past two days is we were able to use just about everyone on our roster in some sort of role," said head coach David Deiros. "The way they stepped up, in some cases in roles they hadn't practiced a lot, is really exciting for us to see as a staff. We're ready to go to Mexico and take that versatility on the road."

FGCU grabbed an early lead in both contests, and scored in four of the five innings to open the day. Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) earned her second win of the season while Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) drove in three runs to lead the offense. Taking a 4-1 lead into the fourth, the Green and Blue scored five times in what would be the final two frames to secure the run-rule win.

Taylor Wade (Pace, Fla./Pace HS) silenced the Blackbirds for the second-straight day as a four-run fourth propelled the Eagles to their third run-rule win of the season. Ashley Swiderski (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) hit FGCU's first home run of the year in the fourth, giving way for the bats to break open the contest in the fourth. Emily Demurias (Miami, Fla./Killian HS) then hit a walk-off single with two outs in the sixth to complete the doubleheader sweep.

GAME ONE: FGCU 9, LIU-Brooklyn 1 (Five Innings)
The FGCU gloves were impressive early, beginning with the second batter of the game. A shallow foul ball down the third base line was snagged mere feet above the ground by Brittany McGuire (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) for the games first out with a runner at second, shifting momentum back in the favor of the Eagles. Two ground outs followed, allowing Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) to set FGCU up in the bottom of the first.

Huff singled to lead off the frame and was brought home on a Fournet double. The sophomore would later score on a McGuire single to give Randolph a 2-0 lead heading into the second.

After LIU-Brooklyn put two in with nobody out in the second, Randolph again got out of the jam. Another Fournet double in the bottom half plated both Natalie Lopez (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS) and Huff, increasing the Eagle lead to 4-0.

The Blackbirds scored a run in the top of the third and were in a position to score more until a sharp line drive was caught by Fournet at first and Swiderski gathered a liner and tossed to second to complete the inning-ending double play with FGCU in front 4-1.

FGCU scored twice more in the fourth before Jeanie Verderese (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside HS) hit an infield single in the fifth to score Morgan Sutherland (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) and Huff ended the game with a two-run single to center, bringing Verderese and Bree Tourtillott (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian Academy/State College of Florida) home.

Randolph conceded seven hits in the game, allowing just one run over five innings. Huff went 4-for-4 from the plate, scoring three runs and driving in a pair. Tourtillott and Fournet both finished the day with two hits.

GAME TWO: FGCU 8, LIU-Brooklyn 0 (Six Innings)
It was almost an identical start in the second end of the doubleheader for FGCU as Huff led off the first with a single and Fournet doubled her in.

Wade then conceded singles in the second and third innings but nothing more, sending the bats back to work. LuLu Newmark (Pembroke Pines, Fla./American Heritage HS/Bowling Green) led off the inning with a deep fly ball to left that hit near the top of the fence for a triple. Fournet then hit a sac fly to right, extending the lead to 2-0 for the time being.

As the game reached the fourth, Swiderski led off the frame with a home run to left, the first home run of her career, to make it 3-0 Eagles. The Green and Blue scored three more times in the inning, capped by a Newmark RBI single to center, pushing the lead to 6-0.

Lopez then led off the sixth with a single and came around to score on a bunt single from Huff. Two batters later, the bases were loaded and with two outs, Demurias delivered a walk-off single to finish the 8-0 victory.

Huff, Bri Innamorato (Mullica Hill, N.J./Bishop Eustace HS), and Lopez each tallied three hits for the Eagles offensively. Wade tossed five innings, allowing no runs on three hits for her second win of the year. Gabbee Draney (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep HS) worked the final inning and retired all three batters she faced.

UP NEXT
FGCU heads south of the border for the Triple Crown Sports Puerto Vallarta Challenge. While in Mexico, the Eagles will be tested by Fresno State, Texas Tech, Cal State Fullerton, and Mississippi State.
 
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 recently enters his 15th 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 (546-268-3). 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.