FORT MYERS, Fla. – A 4-for-4 performance at the plate from Eli Lovell led the #22 FGCU baseball team to a 9-1 victory over NJIT Friday night to begin ASUN play. The Eagles (23-6, 1-0 ASUN) used a home run from Lovell and a five-run seventh to win their seventh-straight game over the Highlanders (11-11, 1-3).

"Mario grinded tonight, that was a good grind win," said head coach Dave Tollett. "His offspeed stuff was on tonight. He didn't always have his best stuff overall but he grinded it out for us. We had a lot of production from the bottom three spots and Eli stepped up for us. We pulled him into the office and talked to him and told him he needs to put the ball in the air and if he does, this will continue to happen."

FGCU capitalized on two NJIT errors in the first to score twice before striking again in the fifth on Lovell's (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest HS/Kansas City Kansas Community College) first home run of the season to double the lead. The Highlanders managed a run in the sixth, but the FGCU bullpen slammed the door from there. FGCU then scored five times in the seventh, securing the Eagles' 9-1 victory.

Two Highlander errors in the first inning allowed the Eagles to take a 2-0 lead after one inning of play. Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) was the first to reach on an error before the sophomore crossed the plate when Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) also reached on an error. After a Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS/Indian River State) single put runners at the corners, Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS) brought in the second run of the inning on a single to the opposite field.

Mario Leon (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) battled through 5.0 innings, striking out nine Highlanders, keeping the 2-0 lead intact. The senior then got some insurance runs in the fourth on Lovell's first home run of the season. With one out in the inning, Eric Gonzalez (Miami, Fla./American Senior HS/ASA College) singled to left bringing Lovell to the plate. The senior hit a fly ball to left that kept carrying over the wall to double the Eagles' lead.

NJIT pushed one run across the plate in the fifth before Trey Vickery (Port Orange, Fla./Spruce Creek HS) entered in the sixth and worked a scoreless inning.

Peyton Gray (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East HS/Gulf Coast State College) then struck out the side in the seventh allowing the Eagles to break it open in the bottom half.

After Garcia reached on a walk to lead off the frame, Gilmore roped a single to right that was misplayed by the right fielder, allowing Garcia to cross the plate and Gilmore to head to third. Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) then scored Gilmore on a single to left before Brait walked and Gonzalez singled to load the bases with nobody out.

Lovell continued to see the ball well, hitting a single back up the middle to plate a pair, making it 8-1 in favor of the Eagles. A Christian Proffitt (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS) RBI groundout concluded the scoring in the inning.

Sebastian Gruszecki (Dudley, Mass./Shepherd Hill Regional HS) and Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS) combined to work the final two innings of scoreless ball.

Adding strikeouts from Vickery and Shuck, FGCU pitchers totaled 13 on the night. Lovell led FGCU at the plate, going 4-for-4 with four RBI.

The Eagles and Highlanders meet in game two, tomorrow at 2 p.m. Saturday is also Charlotte County Day, all Charlotte County residents with a valid ID will receive free admission.

FOLLOW ALONG
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DAVE TOLLETT
In his 16th season, FGCU head coach Dave Tollett has compiled a 555-322-3 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.