FORT MYERS, Fla. – Four runs over the final three innings capped by a Richie Garcia walk-off double helped the FGCU baseball team secure a 4-3 win over Kennesaw State Sunday afternoon. The Eagles (30-12, 7-5 ASUN) trailed the Owls (24-20, 10-5 ASUN) 2-0 heading into the seventh inning until the game underwent two dramatic swings before Garcia's double to seal the series win.
 
"It's always a good matchup with Kennesaw State," said head coach Dave Tollett. "We could have been swept or we could have swept them, we just made some plays the past two games. Richie was the latest one and he's swinging the bat really well right now. I love to watch him play; he plays it the right way and he plays it hard."
 
FGCU was held to two hits over the first six innings and trailed 2-0 on two unearned runs in the first inning. The Eagles tallied their first hit with runners in scoring position in the seventh when Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) hit his seventh home run of the season with a pair of runners on, turning the deficit into a 3-2 FGCU lead. After Kennesaw State tied the game with two outs in the ninth, Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS) delivered with a two-out single to extend the FGCU half of the inning. Garcia then delivered once again, roping a double to the gap in left center, bringing in Brait.   
 
Kennesaw State jumped in front immediately, scoring two unearned runs on two errors in the first. FGCU then put two on with one out in the first but left both runners on, part of eight FGCU would leave on the bases, all in the first six innings.
 
Justin Gill (Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Region HS/Polk State) settled into the game following the first inning, scattering a total of seven hits over 7.0 innings while striking out four. Gill allowed just two runners to reach second over the course of his final six innings to keep FGCU within striking distance.
 
After leaving a pair of runners on in the second, fourth, and fifth, the Green and Blue received a boost from the conference's leader in RBI. With one out, Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) and Brait both singled, putting runners at the corners for Garcia. The sophomore notched his seventh homer of the season, sending the 1-0 offering on a line over the wall in left.
 
Leading 3-2, Sebastian Gruszecki (Dudley, Mass./Shepherd Hill Regional HS) recorded an out in the eighth before Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Viera HS/Eastern Florida State College) ended the inning with relative ease.
 
Hering, however, would run into trouble in the ninth after the Owls put the leadoff man on and moved him to third with two outs. A two-out single then tied the game, sending the contest into the bottom of the ninth.
Following two quick outs, Brait kept the inning alive by singling the other way to bring Garcia back to the plate. The sophomore came through once more, hitting a double off the wall in left-center to bring Brait all the way around to score.
 
Hering (6-2) received the win for his 1.2 innings of work, striking out two in that time.
 
UP NEXT
FGCU welcomes FIU to Swanson Stadium Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
 
 
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 563-328-3 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 six-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.