FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (17-14, 3-2 ASUN) dropped two contests to Liberty (22-13, 5-3 ASUN) Saturday afternoon. In game one, the Eagles fell, 6-2, and then were edged, 4-2, in game two.
"We competed hard today but came up on the short end," said head coach
David Deiros. "We'll regroup and be ready by tomorrow."
Liberty 6 | FGCU 2
FGCU jumped on the board right from the start, scoring its two runs of the first contest on two errors from the Liberty side. Senior
Kate Kelly (Cape Coral, FL./Seminole State College) walked and stole second to get things going. The next batter, sophomore
Haley Morrell (Tampa, FL./Academy of Holy Names) laid down a sac bunt, reaching on a throwing error, advancing to third on the play as Kelly scored. Morrell would then trot home 60 feet on a passed ball.
FGCU kept Liberty scoreless until the top of the fourth where the visitors used four hits to push across two runs. The Flames then answered with another pair of runs in the fifth before scoring two more in the seventh for the 6-2 lead. FGCU loaded the bases in the final frame, but two straight fly outs to center and left, capped off game one. In total, FGCU stranded eight runners on the bags while collecting four hits.
Starting senior pitcher
Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, FL./Northeast HS) moves to 13-6 this season as she scattered eight hits while striking out nine batters. Kelly finished game one going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases.
Liberty 4 | FGCU 2
In game two, both teams exchanged hits in the first as Liberty took a 1-0 lead. The contest would remain a 1-0 deficit for the Eagles until the bottom of the fifth where they plated their first runner. During this stretch, starting junior pitcher
Morgan White (Ocala, FL./Forest HS) had retired eight batters in a row after the third inning. Junior
Sammi Poehlman (Ormond Beach, FL./Daytona State) came on as a pinch-runner after sophomore
Farley Callaghan (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL./Ponte Vedra HS) was hit by a pitch.
Freshman
McKenna Batterton (Norco, CA./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) singled up the middle as two batters later, Kelly ripped a base hit to center for the 1-1 tie. The Flames though, answered with three runs over the next two innings to head into the seventh up 4-1. In the seventh, Callaghan led the frame off with a knock to left as Batterton reached on with a hit by pitch. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, setting up pinch-hitter
Kyleigh Taylor (DeLand, FL./DeLand HS) for the sac fly to center, scoring Callaghan. FGCU's final two outs were popped up to second and first en route to the 4-2 defeat.
White moves to 1-3 in the losing effort as she struck out two batters while surrendering seven hits. The Eagles' offense produced five hits while stranding six runners on the bags.
Up Next
FGCU will look to salvage the series in game three at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
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 627-328-3 (.657), going 142-86 (.623) in the ASUN, having 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.
#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 35 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.
