FORT MYERS, Fla. – A walk-off win and an offensive outburst helped the FGCU baseball team begin the 2018 season with two wins on Opening Day. The Eagles (2-0) used a walk-off single by Alex Brait in the opener to defeat Eastern Michigan 6-5 before FGCU scored 12 runs on 13 hits in game two, defeating EMU (0-2) 12-3 in the nightcap.

"A 2-0 start is what we should do and what we expect to do," said head coach Dave Tollett. "It was not pretty at all but we played hard, we played with energy, and as I said earlier before this game, this team is going to get better as the year goes on. I'd rather get better in the win column than the loss column – it makes practice much more fun Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We had guys go out there and compete. I thought our starting pitching, (Josh) Dye and (Mario) Leon, did a great job. And in the second game (Bryan) Wilcox got in the ballgame and did absolutely fantastic. We had guys swing the bat well – Brait, that guy is on fire right now. There's some good things and some bad things but the bottom line is it goes in the left-handed column and we're undefeated."

Trailing 1-0, FGCU plated five runs in the third, highlighted by a Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) triple, to take a 5-1 lead into the sixth. Eastern Michigan scored four runs over the next three innings to send the game into the ninth tied at 5-5. The Green and Blue loaded the bases in the ninth for Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS), who came through with a single to right for the 6-5 walk-off win.

Similar to the first game, a crooked number early put FGCU in a comfortable position. This time, the Eagles scored four times in the first, adding three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach. It was another big game for Brait, who drove in three runs on two hits as FGCU finished off the doubleheader sweep.
 
GAME ONE: FGCU 6, EASTERN MICHIGAN 5
FGCU grabbed an early lead against EMU only for Eastern Michigan to chip away, eventually tying the game in the 8th inning and giving starting pitcher Josh Dye (DeLand, Fla/DeLand HS) a no-decision. With the score tied at 5-5 in the ninth, Brait came through with the bases loaded and nobody out to give FGCU a walk-off win.

A pair of errors cost FGCU in the first as the visitors pushed a run across the board to begin the game. But the home side immediately threatened in the bottom half. After Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) and Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) led off the inning with a walk and a double, respectively, the Eagles looked set for a big inning. Unfortunately, for the Green and Blue neither would cross the plate.

That all changed in the third when the Eagles used a five-run inning to jump in front. Jake Smith (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Prep) started the rally with a single to left before Christian Proffitt (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS) walked on four pitches. Morey was then hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS/Indian River State). The transfer came through with a single to center to tie the ballgame.

Following a sacrifice fly, Brait drove in FGCU's third run of the inning on a single through the right side, bringing Garcia to the plate. A Freshman All-American last year, Garcia took the first pitch and drove it to the wall in right-center, scoring both Brait and Gilmore on his second career triple.

Eastern Michigan tied the game with single runs in the sixth and eighth around a two-run seventh, sending the game into the ninth 5-5.

After Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Viera HS/Eastern Florida State College) worked a scoreless ninth, Morey led off the FGCU half of the inning with a single to right before Gilmore drew a five-pitch walk. With runners at first and second, Eli Lovell (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest HS/Kansas City Kansas Community College) reached on a fielder's choice as Justin McMurtrey tried to get the lead runner only for his throw to pull the third baseman off the bag. With the bases loaded, Brait pulled a 1-2 offering down the first base line and into right for his third hit of the day, bringing Morey in for the walk-off win.

Dye worked 6.0 innings, allowing two unearned runs on four hits while striking out three. Hering (1-0) worked the final 1.1 innings, striking out one and conceding one hit.

Brait led the Eagles offensively with three hits and two RBIs. Garcia also finished with a pair of RBIs while Morey tallied two hits.

GAME TWO: FGCU 12, EASTERN MICHIGAN 3
FGCU jumped on Eastern Michigan for four runs in the first and never looked back, cruising to a 12-3 victory in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Four runs in the opening stanza, followed by three runs in the fourth and two runs in the fifth and sixth put the game out of reach, while Mario Leon (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) posted a solid first outing for his first win of the season.

Coffers collected his first hit of 2018 to lead off the first after Leon stranded a pair in the top half of the inning. After Gilmore brought in Coffers, the Eagles loaded the bases with two outs for Spencer Levine (Miami, Fla./Miami Killian Senior HS/Seminole State College) who was hit by a pitch to bring in the second run of the inning. Facing a 1-2 count, Smith then singled, bringing in both Garcia and Lovell to cap the four-run first.

After EMU got a run back in the third, Leon struck out the side in the fourth to bring the bats back to the plate. Smith got the offense going with a one-out single, followed by a single from Proffitt as well. Coffers then drove the first pitch he saw to center, where it was misplayed allowing both runners to score and putting the sophomore at third. Two pitches later, Coffers slid home thanks to a great bunt by Morey.

Working with a 7-1 lead, Leon retired the next three batters, ending his night but the bats were far from finished. Lovell led off the FGCU fifth with a single and came around to score on a Brait triple down the line in right. The DH in game two, Brait came home on an RBI groundout from Garcia to extend FGCU's lead to 9-1.

Making his FGCU debut, Bryan Wilcox (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) came on in relief of Leon and tossed an impressive 3.0 innings of work, allowing one earned run while striking out six batters.

Brait tallied two more RBI in the seventh when he again drove by the ball along the line in right to make it 11-1 in favor of the home side and Lovell completed the scoring with a double of his own to score Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) in the eighth.

Eastern Michigan scored twice in the ninth for the 12-3 final.
 
Leon worked 5.0 innings, striking out six and conceding a run on three hits. Matt Rumpf (Coconut Creek, Fla./Monarch HS) worked the ninth for the Eagles, allowing two hits and one earned.

Brait bettered his RBI total from the opener, driving in three on a pair of hits while Smith tallied two RBI. In total, eight Eagles recorded an RBI and five finished with two or more hits.

UP NEXT
FGCU continues its series with Eastern Michigan Saturday at 1 p.m. FGCU has not designated a starter for game three of the series.

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 16th season, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 535-316-3 record (.626) as the only head coach in the program's history and is coming off the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament. 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, including as high as #9 in the country in 2017, and has coached 49 All-Conference selections, 29 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 15 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.