MIAMI, Fla. – Patience was the key for the FGCU baseball team Tuesday as the Eagles drew 10 walks in a 13-6 victory over FIU. The Green and Blue (15-5) plated 11 runs on just seven hits through the first four innings and cruised to a midweek win over the Panthers (10-12) across Alligator Alley.

"We did a really nice job of taking advantage of their mistakes today," said head coach Dave Tollett. "We didn't do a good job of winning the freebie war against Rutgers but we did tonight. We got a lot of productive at-bats throughout the order today and stayed patient when we needed to. Wilcox pitched really well today and gave us what we needed and I thought the bullpen did a nice job the rest of the way."

Crooked numbers in each of the first four innings paved the way for a stress-free evening for the Green and Blue in Miami. The Eagles scored twice in the first, three times in the second, twice more in the third, and four times in the fourth to take an 11-0 lead all while Bryan Wilcox (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) held the Panthers in check early. Although FIU plated three runs in the fourth, the FGCU bullpen did not allow the Panthers to get any closer, allowing the Eagles to close out the 13-6 win.

FGCU took full advantage of five walks through the first inning and a third. Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) led off the game with a walk and moved to third on a failed pick-off, which was followed by a Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) walk and a stolen base. With runners at second and third, Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS/Indian River State) brought in the game's first run on a groundout to first before Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) doubled to center to make it 2-0. Garcia finished the contest with three hits and two RBI.

After a scoreless first for the freshman Wilcox, making his second career start, the Eagles were in an identical situation in the second when Eli Lovell (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest HS/Kansas City Kansas Community College) walked and moved to third on a pick-off throw that got away. Spencer Levine (Miami, Fla./Miami Killian Senior HS/Seminole State College) followed with a walk of his own and with runners at the corners, Christian Proffitt (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS) flipped a single to center bringing Lovell in, the first of three hits for the freshman on the day along with three RBI. Following a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch to make it 4-0, and a walk, Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) made it 5-0 on a sacrifice fly through two innings.

It was another quick inning for Wilcox in the second, bringing the Green and Blue back up to the plate. FGCU struck in the top of the third on Eric Gonzalez's (Miami, Fla./American Senior HS/ASA College) fourth home run of the season that also scored Garcia.

It was more of the same for FGCU in the fourth as the Eagles capitalized on three more walks and used RBI singles from Garcia, Lovell, and Proffitt to plate four runs, increasing the lead to 11-0.

After FIU scored three runs in the fourth and another in the fifth, the Green and Blue scored twice in the seventh, once on a Hayes double to score Proffitt and another on a bases loaded walk to Gonzalez, bringing Coffers home.

The Panthers tacked on a pair in the seventh but no more, as the bullpen closed the door.

Wilcox (2-1) went 3.1 innings in his second start, allowing three runs on one hit. Sebastian Gruszecki (Dudley, Mass./Shepherd Hill Regional HS) tossed 1.2 innings, conceding a run on three hits with a strikeout. Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS) went 2.0 innings and gave up two runs on three hits with two strikeouts. Trey Vickery (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek HS) struck out the side in his inning for work while Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Viera HS/Eastern Florida State College) struck out a pair in the ninth to seal the win.

UP NEXT
FGCU heads back to Fort Myers and opens up a three-game series with UMBC Friday at 6:30 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 16th season, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 548-321-3 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.