BOCA RATON, FL – Behind a stellar performance in the circle by senior Riley Randolph, the FGCU softball team (7-5) picked up a 1-0 win over UConn (3-8) Sunday afternoon at the FAU Softball Stadium.

"Riley came up big again and she saved her best for the final two innings with runners in scoring position," head coach David Deiros said. "I thought we had our best offensive game of the weekend, even though the score might say otherwise."

It was a pitchers' duel through the first three innings of Sunday's contest until the bats for FGCU came alive in the fourth frame. Junior Mikenzie Vaughn (Kennesaw, GA./Florida Southwestern) kick-started the offense with a one-out single to left. Freshman Ashley Hayes (Naples, FL./Barron Collier HS) was brought on as a pinch-runner and stole second base shortly after. Two batters later with two outs, senior Brooke Clemens (West Rotunda, FL./Florida) roped a double to center to give FGCU the 1-0 advantage.

UConn threatened in the sixth using a single and an FGCU error to place runners on second and third but Randolph (St. Petersburg, FL./Northeast HS) forced a strikeout and a pop fly to end the frame. The Huskies brought the go-ahead run to the plate once more in the seventh as a grounder to short was taken care of en route to the 1-0 final.

Randolph moves to 5-2, tossing her sixth complete game of the season as the lefty scattered two hits while fanning nine batters. On offense, FGCU produced six hits, three of which went for doubles.

Up Next
FGCU will travel to Tampa, FL., Wednesday for a doubleheader against USF before flying out to San Diego, CA.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the-minute information on the FGCU softball program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_Softball and Instagram at fgcusoftball and stay tuned at FGCUAthletics.com.

COACH DEIROS
The founding father of FGCU softball, David Deiros is in his 17th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 619-319-3 (.665) overall mark, 13 seasons with a winning record, and nine campaigns with 35 wins. Deiros is a former head coach at the 1998 Florida State Runner-up Lely High School in Naples and is the founding head coach of the 1999 District Champion/2001 Regional Runner-up Gulf Coast High School in Naples.