FORT MYERS, Fla. – With two impressive victories Friday night the FGCU softball team remained perfect at home in 2017. The FGCU/Four Points by Sheraton Invitational got off to a dramatic for the Green and Blue (7-4) with a walk-off 3-1 win over Boston College (8-4) followed by a 10-2 run-rule victory over Hofstra (3-4).

"Two really big wins tonight that showed our kids can do things that need to be done to win games against two very good teams," said head coach David Deiros. "The challenges presented today, we were able to deal with them and overcome them, put pressure on the opposing team and come away with wins."

Behind a stellar performance from Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS), some stellar defensive work from Jeanie Verderese (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside HS) and a walk-off home run from Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School), the Eagles captured a 3-1 win over ACC-foe Boston College to begin the day. BC started the evening with a single run in the second but the left-hander shut down the visitors to pave the way for the rally. FGCU tied the game in the seventh and won it in the ninth on Fournet's first home run of the year.

The Eagle bats carried the momentum from the previous game into the second contest of the day scoring five runs in the opening frame while taking advantage of two Hofstra errors. The Eagles tacked on three more runs over the next two innings and capped the run-rule win with two more in the fifth.

FGCU 3, BOSTON COLLEGE 1 (9 Innings)
Kelsey Huff (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer HS) led off the FGCU half of the first with a single but was left on the bases after Randolph retired Boston College in order.

The Boston College Eagles scored first, manufacturing a run in the second to put the visitors in front 1-0.

Randolph limited BC to just one additional hit, coming in the third inning, throughout the rest of the game to ultimately set up the comeback.

FGCU offensively put a runner on in the fourth with a ­­Fournet single but the sophomore was stranded as the inning came to a close.

Huff later reached in the sixth on a two-out single and swiped second, but the Eagle could not bring her in.

FGCU caught a break in the seventh, when Fournet reached on a fielding error by the first baseman. Emily Demurias (Miami, Fla./Killian HS) came on to run for the sophomore and came around to score on a Brittany McGuire (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) double to left center.

Bri Innamorato (Mullica Hill, N.J./Bishop Eustace HS) was called upon to run for McGuire and advanced 60 feet on a sacrifice bunt from Amber Plaza (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/Miami Dade College). While FGCU would strand a pair in the eighth, a dominating ninth from Randolph set up a dramatic final inning.

With Ashley Swiderski (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) at second, Fournet drilled a 3-1 pitch to right clearing the fence by plenty to give FGCU a 3-1 win.

Randolph (4-1) ended the day with seven strikeouts over nine innings while conceding just two hits. Fournet and Huff each collected two hits, with McGuire and Fournet driving in runs.

FGCU 10, HOFSTRA 2 (5 Innings)
The FGCU bats were opportunistic from the start, taking advantage of two Hofstra errors in the first inning to plate five runs. After Huff led off the inning with a single, Fournet drove her in with a single to center. Following a McGuire single, Fournet came in on the first of consecutive Pride errors, the second of which scored McGuire from second. Already leading 3-0, Verderese plated both Innamorato and LuLu Newmark (Pembroke Pines, Fla./American Heritage HS/Bowling Green) to finish off the five-run inning.

Taylor Wade (Pace, Fla./Pace HS) continued to shut down the Pride, working around a two-out error in the second allowing the red-hot Eagle bats to come back to the plate.
Fournet got the inning started with a double to left-center and moved to third on a McGuire third. After Newmark walked to load the bases, consecutive infield singles scored two more runs for the Green and Blue to make it 7-0 after two innings of play.

FGCU tacked onto the lead in the third on a McGuire triple down the line in right that scored Fournet from first base.

While Hofstra broke through in the fifth, Morgan Sutherland (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) delivered a two-run single to right to cap the 10-2 win for FGCU.

Wade (3-2) tossed five innings, allowing two runs on four hits.

McGuire and Natalie Lopez (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian HS) led FGCU with three hits while Huff and Fournet each added two.

UP NEXT
FGCU is back in action tomorrow beginning at 11 a.m. against Rutgers and Wisconsin.

DAY ONE RESULTS
Wisconsin 5, FIU 0
FIU 9, Rutgers 5
Boston College 4, Wisconsin 1
Hofstra 3, Rutgers 1 (8 Innings)
FGCU 3, Boston College 1 (9 Innings)
FGCU 10, Hofstra 2 (5 Innings)

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 (549-272-3). 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.