FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the second-straight day, the FGCU baseball team kept potential NCAA regional hosts #20 Stetson close, but the Eagles ultimately fell in both ends of a doubleheader Saturday. The Eagles (31-19, 7-11 ASUN) dropped the opener 3-1 to the Hatters (40-11, 14-3) before surrendering an early lead in game two, falling 9-4.
 
Before the games, FGCU honored departing seniors Josh Dye (DeLand, Fla./DeLand HS), Peyton Gray (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East HS/Gulf Coast State College), Spencer Levine (Miami, Fla./Miami Killian Senior HS/Seminole State College), Eli Lovell (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest HS/Kansas City Kansas Community College), and Christian Townsend (Safety Harbor, Fla./Countryside HS). In addition, Parker Hamilton (Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter HS), Kenton Hering (Melbourne, Fla./Viera HS/Eastern Florida State College), Mario Leon (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS), and Gage Morey (West Palm Beach, Fla./PB Central HS) were also recognized after being honored last season.
 
"Give credit to Stetson," said head coach Dave Tollett. "They came in hot and did what they had to do to remain on top of the conference. We had some great performances this weekend regardless of what the scores say. We had some solid pitching and our guys were battling at the plate. We have four games left to secure our spot in the tournament and to prepare ourselves for the postseason; that's our focus now."
 
GAME ONE: FGCU 1, #20 STETSON 3
For the second-straight game, the FGCU baseball team was on the wrong end of a pitcher's duel, falling 3-1 to Stetson. The Hatters scored a run in the third before tallying a pair in the eighth. FGCU scored its run in the ninth, but the late rally came up short.
 
Dye bounced back from a difficult start last week, allowing one earned run over 7.0 innings. The lone run the lefty conceded came on a double play ball in the third, helping FGCU remain close as runs were at a premium to open the day.
 
Dye had little difficulty making it through the first two innings before Stetson put runners on the corners with nobody out following back-to-back singles. Dye exchanged a run for a double play the next at-bat, later getting out of the inning with a strikeout.
 
Neither side was able to produce much until the sixth when Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) hauled in a long fly ball with his back against the wall in right. Then in the bottom half of the frame, Christian Proffitt (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS) led off the inning with a single to left center and moved to third following a sacrifice bunt and a ground ball to first. The shortstop was stranded on the bases, keeping it a 1-0 ballgame.
 
Both pitchers posted quick seventh innings before Stetson pushed across two more runs in the eighth. Dye was removed after 118 pitches, giving way to Hering. The redshirt-senior struck out the first two batters he faced, and nearly ended the inning with a groundout, but the batter beat the throw. Two batters later, Stetson made it a 3-0 lead on a double to left center.
 
Proffitt again led off the FGCU half of an inning with a single, this time to right, but the freshman was again stranded.
 
Hering then struck out the side in the ninth, allowing FGCU to come back to the plate. Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll HS/Indian River State) led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a Levine single. Following an Eric Gonzalez (Miami, Fla./American Senior HS/ASA College) walk, Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS) brought in a run on a double play. Two batters later, FGCU's rally ended with a fly out, falling 3-1.
 
Dye struck out six batters over his 7.0 innings, conceding only four hits. Hering fanned the same number in two innings.
 
GAME TWO: FGCU 4, #20 STETSON 9
FGCU countered an early Stetson run with two in the first. A two-out rally began with a Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) walk before Gilmore singled up the middle to put runners at first and second. Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) hit a 2-2 offering to left, bringing Garcia around to score while sending Gilmore to third. Levine then delivered with an infield single that allowed Gilmore to cross the plate, putting FGCU in front 2-1.
 
After a scoreless frame from Justin Gill (Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Region HS/Polk State) in both the second and third, FGCU went back to work in the second. Alex Brait (Viera, Fla./Viera HS) reached on a single to left and with two outs, Hayes walked to keep the inning alive. Levine came through once again, finding a hole up the middle to bring in Brait to make it a 3-1 ballgame.
 
Stetson, however, stormed back in the fourth, loading the bases and clearing them with a triple to right center to take a 4-3 lead into the sixth inning where the Hatters struck again to make it 5-3.
 
The Eagles had opportunities in both the fifth and sixth innings to cut into the deficit. Garcia started the fifth by reaching on an error before moving to second on a wild pitch. A hard-hit liner off the bat of Gilmore was snagged by the first baseman for the first out before Hayes walked to put runners at first and second. Both runners were left on the bases when the inning ended following a strikeout and a groundout.
 
Trailing 5-3, FGCU loaded the bases in the sixth with two outs but again the Eagles could not close the gap.
 
A solo home run for the Hatters in the seventh then made it 6-3 before a three-run ninth made it 9-3.
 
FGCU mounted a comeback in its half of the ninth, loading the bases with one out behind Brait and Gilmore singles and a Garcia walk. Levine tallied his third RBI of the night, finding a hole on the left side to bring in Brait to make it 9-4. A fielder's choice at home prevented the Eagles from getting any closer before a strikeout ended the game.
 
Gill tossed 6.0 innings, striking out six while allowing five runs. Sebastian Gruszecki (Dudley, Mass./Shepherd Hill Regional HS) worked the next 2.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits. Hamilton surrendered three runs over 0.1 innings while Gray worked the final third.

UP NEXT
FGCU closes out its home slate Tuesday at 2 p.m. against USF.
 
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 564-335-3 record (.629) 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.