CORAL GABLES, Fla. – With each of its last four losses coming by one run, #29 FGCU (26-9, 2-4 ASUN) found itself on the other end of a one-run decision as the Eagles defeated Miami (15-18, 7-8 ACC), 5-4, and claimed the season series against the Hurricanes Wednesday night at Mark Light Field.

With the game tied, 4-4, in the top of the eighth inning, freshman designated hitter Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS) came through with a one-out single up the middle to score Corey Fehribach (Douglasville, Ga./West Georgia CC/Alexander HS) from second base and give the Green and Blue the lead.

From there, redshirt junior reliever Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Eastern Florida State/Viera HS) pitched the final 2.0 innings in perfect fashion. Hering struck out four of the six batters he faced, including all three in the ninth, en route to earning his second save of the season.

Taking a by-committee approach on the mound, FGCU used a total of eight pitchers in Wednesday's contest with redshirt junior Parker Hamilton (1-0, 3.68) earning the win. The Eagles didn't walk a batter past the start of the fifth inning and recorded 10 of their final 14 outs via the strikeout.

With the win, FGCU not only claimed the season series against the in-state Hurricanes for the first time in program history, but also improved to 5-2 in games against Florida, FSU and Miami this season.

"It's a huge win for our program and a huge win for the university," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "We've been playing Miami since 2008, and we've never been able to win the series against them. Once we settled in, we were able to throw strikes and get some punch outs. Kenton Hering was pretty special in the end, and Brait came through with a big hit when we needed one. That was a big spot for a freshman to be in."

Miami's leadoff batter reached in four of the first five innings of the game, but the Hurricanes stranded eight runners during the span and allowed FGCU to remain within striking distance. After Miami had taken a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third, Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) made a great diving catch in the left-center-field gap to end the frame with the bases loaded.

Maintaining a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, Miami appeared poised to extend its advantage as back-to-back walks and sacrifice bunt moved a pair of runners into scoring position. However, FGCU relievers Trey Vickery (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek HS) and Mario Leon (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) combined to strike out the next two Hurricanes to get out of the inning unscathed.

After retiring 11 straight Eagles and 15 of his first 17 batters faced, Miami starter Greg Veliz got himself into some trouble with a hit-by-pitch and walk to start the top of the sixth inning. However, the Miami freshman gave himself a chance to get out of the inning as a failed sacrifice bunt attempt and fly out to center field kept the runners put. With two outs, though, Julio Gonzalez (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Seminole State College (OK)/Brito Miami Private HS), who delivered the game-winning hit in FGCU's 3-0 win against the Hurricanes at the end of March, broke up Veliz's no-hit bid and drove in the Eagles' first run of the game with a single to center field.

Miami extended its lead to 3-1 by scoring a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the FGCU offense took advantage of a pair of fielding miscues to plate three runs in the top of the seventh and grab its first lead of the game. Both Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) and Brait, who reached on an error by shortstop Johnny Ruiz and bloop single to start the inning, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch before leadoff man Matt Reardon (Palm City, Fla./Martin County HS) delivered with a RBI single to center field to cut the Miami lead to 3-2. With two outs and the bases loaded, FGCU took the lead on what appeared to be an inning-ending pop fly as Gonzalez skied a 1-1 pitch from reliever Andrew Cabezas. However, Miami third baseman Edgar Michelangeli allowed the second infield fly of the inning to hit the turf, and FGCU took a 4-3 lead as both Brait and Reardon scored on the play.

Coming out of a 45-minute rain delay, Miami tied the game in its next at-bat as Ruiz hit a one-out single up the middle, stole second and came in to score on a single thru the right side from Christopher Barr. However, the Eagles continued the back-and-forth affair as Brait came through with the aforementioned game-winning RBI single in the top of the eighth.

Offensively, Brait accounted for two of FGCU's four hits, while he, Reardon and Gonzalez each drove in a run. On the mound, the Eagles' eight arms combined to strike out 11 Hurricane batters, marking the first time FGCU recorded double-digit strikeouts in a game since its 3-0 win against Miami on Mar. 29.

UP NEXT
The Eagles return to Fort Myers for a three-game series against USC Upstate. Game one is scheduled for Thursday and 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by game two Friday at 6:30 and the series finale Saturday at noon.

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.

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 516-305-3 record (.626) 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, 15 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 visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.