FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (4-0) shut out two different opponents on day two of the FGCU Kickoff Classic, claiming a 7-0 win over LIU Brooklyn (1-3) and a 4-0 victory over Ball State (2-2) Saturday evening at the FGCU Softball Complex.

"Great job by all of our four pitchers to keep their hitters at bay," said head coach David Deiros. "We played flawless defense including some really special plays. Our offense is finding a bunch of different ways to score. We have put ourselves in a great position to win the Kickoff Classic and that's a great feeling tonight."

FGCU used a five-run first against LIU, highlighted by three doubles to take a 5-0 advantage and never looked back, cruising to a 7-0 win. In the nightcap against Mid-American Conference (MAC) preseason favorite Ball State, it was a tight scoreless affair through the first two innings. FGCU would tack on a pair in the bottom half of the third and fourth, eventually limiting the Cardinals to just two hits in the 4-0 triumph.

Game One: FGCU 7, LIU 0
Freshman Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) ignited the offense in the first reaching on with an infield single and then advanced to second on an errant throw. Up next, Racquel Fournet (Windermere, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) laced an RBI double to center, making it 1-0 FGCU. Brooke Clemens (West Rotunda, Fla./Lemon Bay HS/Florida) and Marcella Parrado (Tampa, Fla./Leto HS/College of Central Florida) kept the inning alive, drawing walks in their at-bats to load the bags.

Mikenzie Vaughn (Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison High School/Florida Southwestern) then dug in and drove the second double of the inning down the left-field line, bringing in two more. With two runners on, Morgan Greco (Winter Springs, Fla./Oviedo HS/Indian River State) ripped the final double of the frame to left center, giving FGCU a 5-0 advantage after one.

FGCU's final runs were delivered in the bottom of the fourth. A walk from Greco followed by a single up the middle from Farley Callaghan (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) put the Eagles in business. Ball State would get the force out at third on fielder's choice but a two-run triple from Sammi Poehlman (Ormond Beach, Fla./SeaBreeze HS/Daytona State) bumped the lead to 7-0.

In the circle, Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast HS) yielded six hits while fanning two batters in five innings as the senior moves to 2-0. Freshman Emily Hess (Endwell, N.Y./Maine Endwell HS) made her collegiate debut tossing one inning with one strikeout as Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS) closed out the contest tossing the final frame, recording one strikeout.

Game Two: FGCU 4, Ball State 0
After two scoreless innings, FGCU got on the board in the third using back-to-back singles from Vaughn and Fournet. Vaughn was able to move to third as no one was there to cover the bag, putting runners on first and second with Fournet advancing on the throw. An RBI grounder to short by Clemens made it a 1-0 affair. Two batters later, Davenport roped a double to left, bringing home another run.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ahnie Jumper (Clewiston, Fla./Plantation American Heritage) came in as a pinch runner and would find herself at third after a grounder and a wild pitch. Senior Kate Kelly (Cape Coral, Fla./North Fort Myers/Seminole State College) reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Jumper to score. After Kelly moved to second on a chopper to the pitcher, Fournet's grounder went right between the Cardinal's first baseman, allowing Kelly to come home for the fourth run.

Meanwhile, starting pitcher Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter HS) was in a zone, at one point retiring nine straight batters. She would exit after six innings of work, scattering two hits on two walks while fanning six Cardinals. With the win, she now moves to 2-0. Bauman worked the final frame as she retired the side.  

Up Next
FGCU ends the Kickoff Classic tomorrow, facing LIU first at 11:15 am followed by another matchup against Ball State at 2:30 pm.

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 616-314-3 (.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.