FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (17-8, 1-2 ASUN) claimed a 6-3 victory in the first of a three-game non-conference series against Towson (3-20, 0-3 CAA) Friday night at Swanson Stadium.

"It was a quality game all the way until the ninth inning from a pitching standpoint," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Studstill was outstanding and he was never in trouble, but we have to be able to close the door and not have to use our older guys when we're up by five. From an offensive end, I thought we played well and our outs were really hard outs. We had a lot of quality at-bats. We are right where we need to be offensively. I'm happy all the way around."

Junior Mason Studstill (Titusville, FL/Rockledge HS/Eastern Florida State) pitched a quality start for the Eagles en route to his fourth win of the season. He threw a career-high eight innings, struck out seven and allowed one run on just four hits.

For the third game in a row, FGCU was the first to get on the board. Junior Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, FL/John Carroll HS/Indian River) plated classmate Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) with a sac fly to right field, giving the Eagles an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

The Tigers responded with an RBI single to knot things up at 1-1 in the top of the third, which they held onto until the fifth inning. Junior Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) gave FGCU the lead for good with his second home run of the season, which was a solo shot to left field. Senior Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College) tacked on an insurance run for the Eagles after being brought in by junior Alex Brait's (Viera, FL/Viera HS) RBI single.

The Green and Blue used a three-spot in the sixth inning to solidify the lead over Towson. Freshman Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS), senior Keith Stevens (Miami, FL/Miami Killian HS/Hillsborough CC) and Garcia all scored in the Eagles' final spree.

Studstill cruised through his last few frames of work and struck out the side in his final inning. Sophomore Gus Carter (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie HS/Florida Southwestern) and freshman Cody Woodring (Lakeland, FL/McKeel Academy of Technology) each faced two batters before handing the mound over to junior Sebastian Gruszecki (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional HS).

Gruszecki took over the bump with the bases loaded and was tasked with recording the final two outs of the game. The Tigers used a late push to score two runs that were charged to Carter and Woodring before Gruszecki ended the game with a swinging strikeout to collect his first save of the season.

Garcia and Brait led the offense with two hits apiece and the duo combined for three RBIs. Freshman Jalen Townsend (right field) (Oviedo, FL/Winter Park HS), junior Cameron Krzeminski (left field) (Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas HS), freshman Corey Clement (first base) (Pembroke Pines, FL/West Broward HS) and sophomore Christian Proffitt (shortstop) (Cape Coral, FL/Ida Baker HS) all made defensive appearances in the final inning of the night.

Up Next
FGCU and Towson will be back at Swanson Stadium tomorrow at 2 p.m. for Charlotte County Day. All Charlotte County residents can get in to the game for free with an ID. Head coach Dave Tollett is a Punta Gorda native and a graduate of Charlotte High School. He coached the Tarpons for 10 years and was named FHSAA District 16 Coach of the Year six times. His teams made five appearances in the Florida High School Athletic Association State Playoffs and won one district championship.
 
WE'VE GOT YOUR SEAT
Experience FGCU Baseball and Softball this season. The following ticket opportunities are on sale now:
Group Sales
Bring your group of 15 or more to an FGCU Baseball or Softball game. All group tickets include your choice of concessions or an FGCU hat ($15 value), in-game group recognition and more. For more information on group outings, click HERE or call 239-590-7145.
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets are available for all remaining home games. Adult tickets are $7 each. Discounted tickets are available for current or former Military and Youth ages 3-15 for just $5 each. Baseball and Softball Frequent Flyer Cards allow multiple entries for more than 50 percent off the adult rate. Choose 34 baseball entries for $105 or 17 softball entries for $55. Purchase online HERE or call 239-590-7145.

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.con/FGCUBaseball. You can also find FGCU athletics on YouTube by visiting YouTube.com/FGCUEagles.

COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 582-345-3 overall record (.627) and a 184-103 (.641) record in the ASUN. He is the only head coach in the program's history and led the program to its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. 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 No. 9 in the country in 2017, and has coached 54 all-conference selections, 31 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 seven-time MLB All-Star.
 
5X CHAMPS
The 2017 season was a magical one for the Green and Blue that ended in the program's first Division I NCAA Championship tournament berth. The Eagles ended the year 43-20, which included a midweek sweep over No. 2 Florida, single wins over No. 1 Florida State, Miami, and a three-game sweep at UNC Wilmington. The wins over Miami, FSU, and UF marked the first time FGCU defeated all three programs in the same season.
 
Reaching as high as No. 9 in the polls, the highest of any program at FGCU, the Eagles struggled in April but bounced back to finish third in the ASUN. During the ASUN Championship, FGCU won four games in a span of 29 hours for their first tournament crown.
 
The Green and Blue earned the No. 2 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional, defeating Michigan 10-6 before losses to Davidson and North Carolina ended their season. The tournament title added to FGCU's four regular season crowns.
 
#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.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 75 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 34 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport.  The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runner-ups for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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