TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Just after the midnight hour, the FGCU baseball team staved off one final rally from Florida A&M to secure a 13-12, 11 inning affair. A contest scheduled to start at 4 p.m. was pushed back to approximately 6:30 and took nearly six hours to complete with the Eagles (9-2) coming back from an early deficit to defeat the Rattlers (6-10).

"This was another one of those games we can circle on the calendar and look back on," said head coach Dave Tollett. "To take an early lead, lose it, and go back and forth before winning in extras shows the resiliency of this club. I've said it before and I'll say it again, as long as there are outs on the board we believe we can win and tonight proved that once again. We could have quit after that first inning but we fought back and won a really tough game. Time to rest up and go for the sweep tomorrow."

FGCU's first extra-inning affair of the season witnessed a total of 25 runs on 31 hits and nine combined errors with the Green and Blue pulling out a narrow 13-12 lead. After grabbing an early 2-0 lead on Kohl Gilmore's (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS/Indian River State) sixth home run of the season, the hosts struck back with a six-run first. The lead would not last long as the Eagles put up a four-spot in the second capped by a Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) two-RBI single to center to tie the ballgame at 6-6. The teams exchanged runs, forcing the game to go into extras where following a scoreless 10th, FGCU plated four runs in the 11th. FAMU had one final rally in them but Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Viera HS/Eastern Florida State College) struck out the final batter of the evening with two runners on to secure the win.

After a 2.5-hour rain delay, the Eagles immediately got to work in the first courtesy of Gilmore's sixth homer of the young season, bringing in Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) who doubled to left with one out in the inning.

Florida A&M, however, capitalized on four Eagle errors in the bottom half of the frame, to grab a 6-2 after a lengthy first inning of play.

The Green and Blue bounced right back, putting runners at first and second with only one out for Christian Proffitt (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS). The freshman reached on an error that scored Eli Lovell (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest HS/Kansas City Kansas Community College) and put a pair of runners in scoring position for Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS), who walked. Following a sacrifice fly, the Rattlers intentionally walked Gilmore to face Garcia who delivered with a single to center that plated a pair to tie the game.

The game settled until the fifth when both sides scratched a run across the plate. Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) led off the inning with a single and later scored on a passed ball to give FGCU a brief 7-6 lead.

Florida A&M then struck in the seventh only for the Eagles to tie the game once again in the eighth, thanks to another Garcia single that brought in two runs.

FGCU had a chance to plate the potential winning run in the ninth, only for Proffitt to be cut down at the plate and the Eagles to leave the bases loaded. With one out in the ninth, Hering came on, shut down the Rattlers to force extras, and continued to silence the FAMU bats as the game headed to the 11th.

Following a Morey walk and a Gilmore double, FGCU took advantage of an errors to pull in front 10-9. Hayes then gave the Eagles some much-needed breathing room with a two-RBI single to right to increase the lead to 12-9 before a Proffitt sacrifice fly made it 13-9.

Hering went back to the mound and got two outs after a leadoff infield single but the Rattlers made the redshirt-senior work. Consecutive singles brought in one before a wild pitch on a potential game-ending strikeout loaded the bases. One more single cut the lead to 13-12 but with runners at first and second, Hering got the final out to give FGCU the 13-12 victory.

Garcia and Lovell each tallied three hits to lead the way with Garcia driving in four runs. Coffers, Morey, Gilmore, Hayes, and Proffitt also recorded two hits in the win.

Bryan Wilcox (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) got the start in the ballgame and went 0.2 innings, surrendering two earned runs (five total) on just two hits. Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS) then entered and went 4.0 innings with six strikeouts, allowing just one earned run (two total) on four hits. Justin Gill (Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Region HS/Polk State) then tossed 3.2 innings of relief work, striking out four Rattlers while allowing two runs on four hits. Hering (3-1) got the win, pitching the final 2.2 innings, striking out three while conceding three runs on four hits.

UP NEXT
FGCU goes for the series sweep tomorrow at 2 p.m.

FOLLOW ALONG
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DAVE TOLLETT
In his 16th season, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 542-318-3 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.