KENNESAW, Ga. – Redshirt senior slugger Nick Rivera hit two home runs for the second straight night and set his sixth FGCU program record as the Eagles (36-17, 12-8 ASUN) won a slugfest against Kennesaw State (23-29, 10-10 ASUN), 15-6, Friday night at Stillwell Stadium.

The win was the Green and Blue's eighth straight in conference play, and the team has rattled off 87 runs on 105 hits during the torrid stretch. The Eagles not only claimed the series with Friday's victory, but also set a date with UNF in the first round of next week's ASUN Tournament. Currently in a tie with the Ospreys at 12-8 in the league, tomorrow's outcome will determine if FGCU is the No. 3 or No. 4 seed. Since UNF holds the head-to-head tiebreak against FGCU, the Eagles need a win and Ospreys loss to claim the No. 3 seed.

With the aforementioned pair of home runs, Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bisho Verot HS) has now totaled four in the series, an ASUN best 16 on the season and 42 in his FGCU career. After tying Tim Roberson for second in program history with two home runs Thursday night, the Cape Coral native surpassed former Eagle Zach Maxfield's program record that had stood since 2011. Additionally, his 16 home runs this season are the third most in single season history and the most since 2009.

Over the last three conference series, Rivera is hitting .413 with eight home runs and 24 RBI. As a team, the Eagles have hit 25 home runs during the 11-game span after hitting only three home runs in the first nine games of conference play.

"It's been great to see the bats stay as hot as they are heading into the stretch run," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "Nick is without question the hottest hitter in the conference and maybe the nation right now, and our offense goes with him. He's the leader of this team, and it was great to see him set another program record tonight. We now know our matchup next Wednesday, but we're taking this one game at a time and are focused on coming out again tomorrow and getting it done."

Much like Thursday's series opener, Rivera got the Green and Blue on the scoreboard with a no-doubt, three-run home run to center field in the top of the first inning. The first five FGCU batters of the game reached base, and Corey Fehribach (Douglasville, Ga./West Georiga CC/Alexander HS) extended the lead to 4-0 as he hit a sacrifice fly in foul territory down the left-field line.

Kennesaw State answered right back, though, as Forrest Bramlett followed a pair of singles with a three-run home run to left center field to cut the early lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the first.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Rivera stepped back in the box in the top of the second and drove in his fourth run of the game on a RBI groundout to second base. Two batters later, Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Eagles' a three-run cushion and run Moore from the game. With Kennesaw State reliever Turner Watkins in the game, Fehribach drove in his second run in as many innings on a RBI groundout to make it a 7-3 ballgame.

After going scoreless in the third, Rivera lead off the top of the fourth with a solo home run to center field to set the FGCU career record in the category. Garcia then got in on the action with a solo home run to left field – his sixth of the season – before Jake Smith (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Prep) hit a two-RBI double over the head of Chris Erwin in center to make it 11-3.

The Eagles plated four run in the first, three in the second and four more in the fourth while sending at least eight batters to the plate in each of those innings.

Erwin led off the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run to center field, and right hander Mario Leon (4-2, 4.29), who relieved Dye (DeLand, Fla./DeLand HS) with two outs and a runner on first in the top of the fifth, was greeted by Bramlett with a two-run home run to left field to cut the FGCU lead to 11-6.

After Owls reliever Jordan Krueger retired the first seven Eagles he faced, three straight hits, including a RBI double from Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS), extended the lead to 12-6 in the top of the seventh. With one out and first base open, Kennesaw State elected to intentionally walk Rivera to load the bases. The move payed off as Krueger retired the next two Eagles to escape the jam.

However, FGCU was able to add on to its lead with one run in the eighth and two more in the ninth to get to the 15-6 final. Kennesaw State's Brock Turner walked four batters in the eighth to bring in a run before Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) hit a RBI single to center in the ninth and Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS) capped things off with a sacrifice fly.

On the mound, Leon (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) settled down nicely after allowing the home run and earned the win after pitching 3.1 innings in relief and allowing the one run on two hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

Offensively, Rivera led the way with the pair of home runs and five RBI – pushing his career total to 214 and giving him sole possession of fifth place in ASUN history in the category. Julio Gonzalez (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Seminole State College (OK)/Brito Miami Private HS) turned in a team-high three hits with two doubles, while Garcia and Coffers each added a pair of hits. With eighth more extra-base hits tonight, FGCU has totaled 15 in the two-games against the Owls.

UP NEXT
The third and final game of the series and regular season finale is Saturday at 1 p.m. FGCU will send senior Garrett Anderson (8-3, 2.92) to the mound opposite Kennesaw State lefty Chris Erwin (2-4, 3.64).

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 526-313-3 record (.625) 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.