TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – FGCU made it four-straight series wins to open the 2018 season with a 15-7 win Wednesday over Florida A&M. The Eagles (10-2) concluded their five-game road trip with a 4-1 record including a two-game sweep over the Rattlers (6-11).

"Our bats continue to do a nice job coming through in big spots," said head coach Dave Tollett. "The bottom of the order really carried us today, especially Gonzalez. He came up big for us with two homers and really stepped up. Anytime you can go on the road and come away with four wins in five games, it's a success."

The bats were out in full force once again for the Eagles, who after scoring 13 runs on 17 hits yesterday plated 15 more on 18 hits today. Eric Gonzalez (Miami, Fla./American Senior HS/ASA College (Miami)) made his first start today against Florida A&M and led the charge, collecting four hits including two home runs while driving in four. Similar to yesterday, FGCU took an early lead capped by Gonzalez's first home run of the afternoon in the third to make it 3-0, but the Rattles came back with a big inning in the second to turn it into a 5-3 scoreline in favor of the hosts. A six-run fourth all but put the game away before the Eagles tacked on runs in the sixth, seventh, and ninth innings to conclude the road trip with a 15-7 victory.

Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) got the Eagles going with a one-out walk before scoring on a Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) sacrifice fly for the early 1-0 edge. After Peyton Gray (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East HS/Gulf Coast State College) tossed a scoreless first, FGCU went back to work in the second courtesy of a two-run home run off the bat of Gonzalez that also brought in Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS).

The Rattlers, however, stormed back scoring five runs on six hits and one FGCU error, reversing the scoreline to make it 5-3 to FAMU.

Garcia cut that deficit to 5-4 with a solo home run in the third before the Eagles broke the game open with a big inning of their own. In the fourth, Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS/Indian River State) took advantage of a leadoff walk to Morey, delivering his seventh home run of the season over the fence in right. Following singles from Garcia and Eli Lovell (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest HS/Kansas City Kansas Community College), Hayes scored both on a double to left. Hayes would later come around on a passed ball before Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS) crossed the plate on a Christian Proffitt (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS) RBI knock to center.

The lead was cut to 9-6 when Florida A&M plated a single run in the fifth but the Eagles got the run back in the sixth on a Gilmore single to right that brought in Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS).

FGCU put another crooked number on the board in the seventh, highlighted by Gonzalez's second two-run home run before Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS) scored on an error.

The Eagles concluded the scoring with an RBI groundout in the ninth after the hosts scored in the eighth.

Gray went 3.1 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out three. Trey Vickery (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek HS) then entered and shut down the Rattlers through 3.1 innings, conceding just one run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts. Christian Townsend (Safety Harbor, Fla./Countryside HS) surrendered two hits while Parker Hamilton (Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter HS) completed the final 2.1 innings allowing one unearned run while striking out four. Vickery (1-0) earned his first win of 2018.

Gonzalez led the way for FGCU at the plate while Gilmore, Garcia, Hayes, and Brait all tacked on multiple hits.

UP NEXT
FGCU returns home to open a three-game series with Evansville Friday at 6:30 p.m.

FOLLOW ALONG
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DAVE TOLLETT
In his 16th season, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 543-318-3 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.