CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – After falling in a 3-0 deficit in the top of the second inning, the FGCU (43-18) offense came to life behind a pair of no-doubt home runs off the bat of Nick Rivera, and the Eagles defeated No. 3 Michigan (42-16), 10-6, in its first-ever NCAA Tournament game Friday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.

Trailing 4-2 going in the bottom of the fifth inning, Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) launched a fastball from Michigan starting pitcher Oliver Jaskie (8-3, 4.20) well over the net and equipment shed beyond the wall in left field. An inning later, the redshirt senior slugger came up to the plate with two outs and two on and greeted Wolverines reliever Mac Lozer with another bomb – this one a three-run blast off the net in left-center field – to give FGCU its first advantage of the game and the lead for good.

Rivera's two home runs in the game marked his 18th and 19th of the season and 44th and 45th of his illustrious FGCU career. His 19 home runs this season are tied for the second most in a single season in program history and are the most since 2009. Additionally, the game marked his fifth multi-home run game of the season and eighth of his career.

Eight players in the FGCU lineup recorded a hit with four turning in multiple-hit performances. The team's 10 hits off Jaskie were the most the junior southpaw has given up in his Michigan career. Additionally, nine of the Eagles' 10 runs in the game came with two outs.

"That's the biggest win in program history, no question," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "We were a little tight early on, but once we realized it was just baseball and settled in, I thought we were going to be OK. We've played in some big games against some great competition, and those games really prepared us for today. Nick Rivera is one of the best to ever wear the Green and Blue. It's that simple."

Playing in a NCAA Tournament game for the first time, the Green and Blue got off to a slow start as Michigan capitalized on a few FGCU mental mistakes and jumped out to a 3-0 lead through the top of the second inning. Leadoff hitter Ako Thomas reached on catcher's interference to start the game and came around to score on a RBI single from Miles Lewis. Later in the inning, a bases-loaded walk, which followed a potential groundout that resulted in a fielder's choice, made it a 2-0 ballgame before Johnny Slater hit a solo home run in the top of the second to extend the lead to three.

However, the nerves seemed to settle as FGCU got on the scoreboard in the home half of the second inning. Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) recorded the first hit of the afternoon on an infield single and later came in to score as Jake Smith (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Prep) flipped a two-out RBI single into left field to make it 3-1.

After Kutter Crawford (Okeechobee, Fla./Indian River State/Okeechobee HS) pitched a scoreless third and fourth and extended his strikeout total to eighth, the bottom-third of the FGCU order strung together a trio of two-out singles to again cut into the Michigan lead in the bottom of the fourth. Elijah Lovell (Lincoln, Neb./Kansas City Kansas CC/Lincoln Southwest HS) started the rally with a single to center field before Smith reached for the second time in as many at-bats on a single to left. Spencer Levine (Miami, Fla./Seminole State College/Miami Killian Senior HS) then hit a RBI single to left field, and Lovell just beat the throw on a head-first dive at the plate.

Michigan manufactured another run on a leadoff walk, stolen base and RBI single from Drew Lugbauer in the top of the fifth to run Crawford from the game, but FGCU answered right back when Rivera hit his first home run of the afternoon in the bottom of the inning.

With Mario Leon (5-2, 4.82) on in relief, the Wolverines put together another two-out rally in the top of the sixth and pushed its lead back to two runs at 5-3. That's the last lead the Big Ten foe would hold, though, as FGCU scored five runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Smith stayed hot from the plate with a two-out triple down the right-field line, and the Eagles cut the Michigan lead to one as Levine hit a chopper to third that ate up Michigan's Lugbauer. Leadoff man Julio Gonzalez (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Seminole State College (OK)/Brito Miami Private HS) kept the inning alive with an infield single before Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) tied things up with a RBI single back up the middle to run Jaskie from the game. Rivera then put the Green and Blue ahead, 8-5, with his three-run home run to cap off the big inning.

Michigan scored a run for the third straight frame in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 8-6, but that's the last run the Wolverines would get as Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Eastern Florida State/Viera HS) recorded the final seven outs of the game and earned his seventh save of the season.

The Eagles carried their two-run advantage into the bottom of the eighth inning and got a pair of big insurance runs when Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) followed an intentional walk to Rivera with a bases-loaded, two-RBI single through the right side to cap off the scoring for the game.

With the win, the Eagles advance to the winner's bracket of the Chapel Hill Regional and will take on the victor of tonight's game between No. 1 UNC (47-12) and No. 4 Davidson (32-24) tomorrow at 6 p.m. Along with the broadcast on ESPN3, David Moulton will have the call for Fox Sports Radio on 94.1 FM (Lee County), 105.9 FM (Collier County) and 103.3 FM (Cape Coral). 

FOLLOW ALONG
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DAVE TOLLETT
In his 15th season of work, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 533-314-3 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 and one ASUN Tournament Championship. His team has been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets and has coached 49 All-Conference selections, 27 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 17 current minor leaguers, four ASUN Pitchers of the Year, four All-Americans, three 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.