CORAL GABLES, Fla. – After scoring 64 runs on 84 hits during its six-game win streak, the FGCU (34-17, 10-8 ASUN) bats were quieted in a 5-1 defeat to Miami (26-26, 13-13 ACC) Tuesday night at Mark Light Field.
The Eagles hit the ball hard on multiple occasions but came up with only three hits as Miami's defense robbed FGCU of extra bases to start three innings in the game.
Both starting pitchers factored into the decision. FGCU's
Peyton Gray (3-3, 4.94) suffered the loss after allowing four earned runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work. Opposite
Gray (Columbus, Ind./Gulf Coast State/Columbus East HS), Miami's Evan McKendry pitched 7.0 scoreless innings and allowed only two hits with two walks and a career high 10 strikeouts en route to earning the win.
"McKendry was really impressive out there tonight," said FGCU head coach
Dave Tollett. "He mixed his pitches nicely and had a good curveball. Our guys squared up some pitches that didn't find holes in the defense, and Miami did a good job keeping us off the bases. It's a quick turnaround before this weekend, but we have some important conference games to wrap up the regular season before the ASUN Tournament."
With two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the third, Gray, who escaped a jam the inning prior, issued a two-out walk and allowed a single before hitting Hunter Tackett with an 0-2 pitch to load the bases. Edgar Michelangeli then cleared the bases with a double to right-center field to give Miami an early 3-0 lead.
The Hurricanes extended its lead in its next at-bat as leadoff man Carl Chester hit a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the fourth.
FGCU was robbed of extra bases to start the fifth inning for the second straight frame. After
Nick Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) flew out to the 400-foot sign in center field in the top of the fourth, Miami left fielder James Davison made a diving catch on the warning track to retire
Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) at the start of the fifth.
Right handed reliever
Parker Hamilton (Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter HS) entered the game in the sixth and gave up an unearned run. With runners on first and second and one out, Chester grounded into a potential inning-ending double play, but the throw from
Jake Smith (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Prep) skipped into the Miami dugout and allowed Joe Gomez to score from second and make it a 5-0 ballgame.
The Eagles were then robbed of extra bases for the third time to start an inning as
Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) hit a sharp grounder down the third-base line but was retired on a nice diving stab and throw from Michelangeli.
The Green and Blue got on the scoreboard in the top of the eighth inning when
Julio Gonzalez (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Seminole State College (OK)/Brito Miami Private HS) hit a one-out single up the middle, advanced to third on a throwing error by Michelangeli at third and came in to score on Rivera's 205th career RBI – moving the redshirt senior slugger in sole possession of seventh place on the ASUN's all-time RBI list.
However, it was too little, too late for FGCU, who dropped its first contest in three meetings with the Hurricanes this season.
Hamilton pitched 3.0 innings in relief and allowed the one unearned run on three hits with two strikeouts. Gonzalez,
Spencer Levine (Miami, Fla./Seminole State College/Miami Killian Senior HS) and Smith accounted for the Eagles' three hits.
UP NEXT
FGCU faces a quick turnaround before heading to Kennesaw State for the last series of the regular season this weekend. Game one is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. and will be followed by game two Friday at 6 p.m. and the regular season finale Saturday at 1 p.m.
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 524-313-3 record (.624) 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.
