FORT MYERS, Fla. – Behind a two-run home run from Spencer Levine in the bottom of the eighth inning, #29 FGCU (27-9, 3-4 ASUN) opened its series against USC Upstate (15-21, 1-6 ASUN) with an ever-important conference win as the Eagles defeated the Spartans, 7-6, Thursday night at Swanson Stadium.

After seeing a 5-2 lead evaporate with USC Upstate scoring a pair of runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings, Levine (Miami, Fla./Seminole State College/Miami Killian Senior HS), who entered the game as a defensive replacement the half inning prior, stepped to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and sent the first pitch he saw from Spartan reliever Connor Campbell over the fence in left field to also drive in Julio Gonzalez (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Seminole State College (OK)/Brito Miami Private HS) and give FGCU a 7-6 lead. The home run was Levine's third game-winning hit of the season.

From there, redshirt junior reliever Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Eastern Florida State/Viera HS) entered the game looking for his second save in as many nights and got just that. With the tying run in scoring position, pinch hitter Nick Bryson hit a slow roller to third, but Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) made a bare-handed play to record the final out at first and prevent the potential game-tying run from scoring.

Senior reliever Sterling Koerner (2-2, 4.33), who was on the hook after a shaky FGCU defense allowed the tying and go-ahead runs to score in the top of the eighth, earned the win as his battery mate Levine picked him up at the plate. Opposite Koerner (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS), Campbell (1-3, 4.23) suffered the loss for the Spartans.

The one-run decision was the sixth in the last seven games for FGCU. With the victory, the Eagles matched their 59-game win total from a season ago and did so in only 36 games.

"Any time you can get a conference win in the series opener is big," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "We've seen Spencer do it before. He got hot early on and carried us for a while. He had been struggling a little bit of late, so we gave him some time off because he had been catching every day. It's amazing what a little time off can do. That's a big hit for us. We'll get back out here and try to win the series tomorrow; just take it one game at a time."

FGCU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS), who delivered last night's game-winning single at Maimi, made the Spartans pay for a fielding miscue with a two-out, two-RBI double over the head of right fielder J.J. Shimko.

After FGCU starter Kutter Crawford (Okeechobee, Fla./Indian River State/Okeechobee HS) struck out seven in his first 4.0 innings pitched, the right hander found himself in trouble after a leadoff single and back-to-back one-out walks loaded the bases in the top of the fifth. The Spartans cut the lead to one run on an RBI groundout from leadoff man Devon Ortiz and evened things up as Pat Raiff came in to score on the second passed ball of the frame.

It didn't take long for FGCU to reclaim and extend its lead, though, as the Eagles plated a run in the home half of the fifth and two more in the sixth. FGCU's freshman duo of Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) and Brait started the fifth with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners before Eli Lovell (Lincoln, Neb./Kansas City Kansas CC/Lincoln Southwest HS) drove in the local product on a groundout to second base. An inning later, the Green and Blue tacked on a pair after back-to-back singles from Nick Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) and Gonzalez were followed by a RBI base knock through the left side by Garcia. Gonzalez then came in to score on a passed ball to make it a 5-2 ballgame.

USC Upstate got right back into it with a two-out rally in the top of the seventh. Only one of the Spartans' three hits off Koerner in the inning made its way into the outfield, but it turned out to be enough to plate a pair of runs and cut the FGCU lead to one. After the Eagles went down in order following the seventh inning stretch, Shimko reached second as a routine fly ball to left field was dropped by defensive replacement Cameron Krzeminski (Coral Springs, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) to start the eighth. Shimko later came in to score the tying run on a single to second base before Russ Schwertfeger scored the go-ahead run on yet another infield single.

However, Levine then stepped to the plate with two outs in the home half of the eighth and deposited Campbell's first-pitch curveball over the left-field fence to give the Green and Blue the one-run advantage and eventual win.

Offensively, seven of FGCU's starting nine recorded a hit in the game with Gonzalez, Garcia, Coffers and Brait collecting two hits apiece. Levine and Brait also drove in a pair of runs, while Garcia and Lovell each added a RBI. The Eagles' 11 hits in the game were the team's most in the last six contests.

UP NEXT
Game two of the three game series between the Eagles and Spartans is on tap for Friday at 6:30 p.m. FGCU will send southpaw Josh Dye (6-1, 2.70) to the mound to face USC Upstate starter Kevin Hickey (2-4, 4.30).

TICKETS
Single game tickets for the remainder of the 2017 FGCU baseball season are now sale. 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 517-305-3 record (.627) 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.