FORT MYERS, Fla. – Trailing 9-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the FGCU baseball team (0-1) tried to put together a late-inning rally but ultimately came up short as the Green and Blue suffered a 10-5 defeat to Sacred Heart (1-0) in the season opener at Swanson Stadium Friday evening.
 
Although the bats started to come alive late in the night, a pair of early defensive miscues and sporadic pitching dug FGCU in an early hole that the team was unable to dig itself out of.
 
"With the early errors and walks, it was just too much to come back from," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "It's not what we expected, and we're disappointed in the way we showed up to play in our first game. We need to get better and try to win the doubleheader tomorrow and this series."
 
The Pioneers wasted no time in taking advantage of the Eagles' first fielding error as a groundball to first skipped under the glove of Nick Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS), who hadn't played the position since the 2015 season. After a passed ball allowed runners to advance to second and third, a RBI groundout from cleanup hitter Kevin Czapelski brought in the first run of the game.
 
Sacred Heart never looked back from there as its lead grew to 4-0 in the top of the third. An error by Matt Reardon (Palm City, Fla./Martin County HS) started the inning and back-to-back walks from starting pitcher Mario Leon (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) loaded the bases with one out. P.J. DeFilippo then made the Green and Blue pay with a two-RBI single to center field, before Czapelski eventually scored on a RBI groundout to third when the inning would've been over.
 
After FGCU recorded its first hit on a Reardon single to right in the bottom of the third, the Pioneers looked ready to lengthen its lead in the top of the fourth. However, sidearmer Christian Townsend (Safety Harbor, Fla./Countryside HS) relieved Leon with one out and a runner on third and did a job as he induced a comebacker to the mound and pick off to end the threat.
 
Townsend, who had gone scoreless in his first 2.1 innings of relief, then ran into trouble in the top of the sixth when Sacred Heart's lead grew to 6-0. After a wild-pitch strikeout allowed runners to advance to second and third, three-hole hitter Keith Klebart drove in a pair on a two-out single to left field the very next pitch.
 
The Pioneers' lead continued to grow in the top of the seventh when three runs crossed the plate. A single by DeFilippo and triple from Elijah Brown ran Townsend from the game and allowed southpaw Trey Vickery (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek HS) to make his FGCU debut. However, Dan Schock gave the Green and Blue newcomer a rude awakening as he hit a RBI double into the left-center field gap, before the lead blossomed to 9-0 on Anthony Capozziello's RBI single to center.
 
The Eagles' bats then came alive as they scored five runs in the final three frames. The first two came as they took advantage of a Sacred Heart error and got on the board in the bottom of the seventh when Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS) drove in his first collegiate run on a RBI groundout. Junior College transfer Julio Gonzalez (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Seminole State College (OK)/Brito Miami Private HS) then drove in his first run as a member of the Green and Blue on a single through the right side.
 
After holding the Pioneers scoreless in the top of the eight, FGCU cut into the lead with a run in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run off the bat of Rivera. It was Rivera's 27th home run of his career in his first game back since injuring his wrist on Mar. 15 of last season.
 
With Sebastian Gruszecki (Dudley, Mass./Shepherd Hill Regional HS) also making his collegiate debut, Sacred Heart made it a 10-3 ballgame in the top of the ninth. However, FGCU made things interesting in the final frame when they put runners on second and third with nobody out. Barron Collier product Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) hit a sharp ground ball that was booted by DeFilippo at third base and brought in two to make it 10-5 with nobody out. However, a strikeout, innocent pop up and ground out ended the game without any further drama.
 
Leon (0-1, 2.70) suffered the loss after tossing 3.1 innings and allowing four runs – one earned – on three hits. His counterpart, Brent Teller (1-0, 0.00), earned the win by tossing 6.0 innings and allowing two runs – no earned – on five hits.
 
Offensively, Reardon, Rivera and Gonzalez each turned in multi-hit games, including Rivera's aforementioned no-doubt home run over the left field fence.

UP NEXT
FGCU and Sacred Heart are right back at it tomorrow for a doubleheader with game one starting at 1 p.m. The Eagles starting pitcher in both games is to be determined, while the Pioneers will send left hander John Sostarich to the mound in game one and righy Baylor Sundahl to the bump in game two.
 
2017 SCHEDULE
The Eagles' schedule features eight teams that participated in the 2016 NCAA Base­ball Tournament including a pair of College World Series participants in preseason #2 Florida and preseason #8 Miami along with Super Regional participant and preseason #3 FSU. The five remaining NCAA Tournament teams include defending Big Ten Tournament Champion Ohio State, defending ASUN Tournament Champion Stetson, defending CAA Champion UNC Wilmington, defending C-USA Champion FAU and defending MEAC Tournament Champion Bethune-Cookman. Twenty-six of FGCU's first 30 games will be contested in Southwest Florida with 24 games scheduled to be played at Swanson Stadium and two additional games at JetBlue Park, the Spring Training home of the Boston Red Sox. From Feb. 24 through Mar. 15, the Eagles are scheduled to play 13 consecutive games against five of the aforementioned NCAA Tournament teams.
 
TICKETS
Single game and season ticket packages for the 2017 FGCU baseball season are now on sale. Season tickets for games contested at Swanson Stadium can be purchased for $99, while single game tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth (12 and under), military and groups. For questions or more information, please contact the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145. Additonally, tickets for games versus preseason #2 Florida and preseason #3 FSU can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling the JetBlue Park Ticket Office at 239-334-4700.
 
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.

DAVE TOLLETT
In his 15th season of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 490-297-3 record (.620) as the only head coach in the program's history. He is a four-time ASUN Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to four ASUN Regular Season Championships. His team has been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets and has coached 42 All-Conference selections, 27 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 19 current minor leaguers, four ASUN Pitchers of the Year, four All-Americans, two ASUN Players of the Year, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one five-time MLB All-Star.

#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.