FORT MYERS, Fla. – Another dominating performance on the mound, this time from Josh Dye, and an offensive explosion helped the FGCU baseball team overpower UMBC (5-12) Saturday. The Eagles (17-5) left no doubt in the second game of the weekend series, scoring 14 runs through four innings en route to a 14-3 victory.

"We were able to get some different guys in, have them get some swings and some time," said head coach Dave Tollett, who won his 550th game. "Jay Hayes got us going with his home run and for us to put up six runs in the second and with Dye on the hill, that's pretty good. He was very good tonight. With him finishing with 62 pitches, he'll be rested tomorrow. We'll take that any day."

The Green and Blue, who have now won six of their first seven series to open the season, were dominant in all aspects Saturday afternoon. Dye (DeLand, Fla/DeLand HS) needed only 62 pitches to get through 6.0 innings. Of those 62 pitches, 46 were strikes to earn his fourth win of the season. The Eagles took the early lead thanks to a three-run home run off the bat of Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) in the first. From there, FGCU plated six runs in the second and five more in the fourth to cruise to victory.

A two-out rally in the first put the Green and Blue in front early. Following two quick outs, a Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS/Indian River State) walk and a Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) single through the left side set the table for Hayes. On a 2-0 count, the left-fielder hit his third home run of the season to put the home side in front 3-0.

After UMBC got one back in the second, FGCU exploded in the bottom half to the tune of six runs. Three-straight one-out singles pushed the lead to 4-1 on a Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) RBI before Gilmore walked to load the bases. Garcia then came through with a single through the left side, bringing in two. Immediately after, Hayes crushed a double to left center to clear the bases. Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS) ended the scoring with an RBI groundout to make it a 9-1 ballgame.

Dye continued to limit the Retrievers, surrendering just four hits over six innings while issuing zero walks, allowing the bats do major damage again in the fourth.

Hayes got the Eagles going in the fourth, wearing a 1-1 pitch to reach base for the third time before moving to second on an Eric Gonzalez (Miami, Fla./American Senior HS/ASA College) single to center. Brait drove in his second run of the game on an RBI single to right before Keith Stevens (Miami, Fla./Miami Killian Senior HS/Hillsborough CC) walked to load the bases for Christian Proffitt (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS). The freshman came through, sending a 1-2 pitch back up the middle to plate two runs. Following a Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) sacrifice fly, Morey one-hopped the fence in right to bring Proffitt in from first and extending the lead to 14-1.

Dye's day came to an end after the sixth. Christian Townsend (Safety Harbor, Fla./Countryside HS) entered and worked 2.0 innings, striking out two while issuing just one walk. Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS) pitched the ninth, allowing two runs on three hits.

Six Eagles tallied two or more hits, highlighted by a four-hit effort from Morey and Hayes' two-hit, five RBI game.

UP NEXT
FGCU goes for the series sweep tomorrow at 1 p.m.

FOLLOW ALONG
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DAVE TOLLETT
In his 16th season, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 550-321-3 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.