KENNESAW, Ga. – The FGCU baseball team (24-12, 6-3 ASUN) won the first game of today's doubleheader against Kennesaw State (17-20, 4-5 ASUN) but dropped the second. The Eagles claimed a 6-4 win in game one to win the overall series before falling 4-0 in the second game at Stillwell Stadium.

"We're happy winning the series," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We played really well in game one and came from behind to win the series. Game two we didn't hit well but I feel like that was only the second game this year that we've had that problem. We know how tough it is to sweep but we wish we could've finished the weekend." 

FGCU 6, KSU 4
In the first game of today's doubleheader, the Eagles struck first and took an early lead. Junior Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, FL/John Carroll HS/Indian River) led the second inning off with a double to right field and came around to score after an RBI single off the bat of freshman Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS).

Senior Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College) tacked onto the lead in the top of the fourth when he launched his second home run in as many days. Kinker, who had reached on a throwing error by the Owls' third baseman, scored on the play. The homer put the Eagles up 3-0.

Senior Evan Lumbert (Orlando, FL/Boone HS/South Florida State) started on the stripe for FGCU and kept Kennesaw State off the board until the fifth inning. The Owls, who had not recorded a hit until the fifth inning, used an RBI single of their own to cut the Eagles' lead down to 4-1.

KSU charged two more runs to Lumbert in the sixth frame to tie the game. Sophomore Gus Carter (2-0) (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie HS/Florida Southwestern) came out of the Eagle bullpen to relieve Lumbert and the southpaw finished the frame allowing just one more of the starter's runners to score. That gave the home team a 4-3 edge.

The Eagles threw up a three-spot of their own in the top of the eighth to swing momentum back in their favor. Gonzalez got the scoring started with a single that pushed freshman pinch runner Jalen Townsend (Oviedo, FL/Winter Park HS) across. Junior Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS) made it 6-4 with a two-RBI single that plated Gonzalez and junior pinch hitter Cameron Krzeminski (Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas HS).

Junior Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, FL/Bradenton Christian School/State College of Florida) pitched for the final six outs of the night. Since he kept the Owls from scoring in the two-run ballgame, he was awarded his sixth save of the season and is now in a three-way tie for the sixth-most by an Eagle pitcher in a single season. One of the pitchers in the tie is former Chicago Cub Casey Coleman (2006). Carter was awarded the win for being on the mound when FGCU took the lead for good.

With the win, the Eagles claimed their second ASUN Conference series win of the season. The Green and Blue dropped the ASUN opener at North Florida but swept Lipscomb at Swanson Stadium last weekend.

KSU 4, FGCU 0
The Green and Blue struggled offensively in the series finale. The team finished nine innings of play with just three hits. Junior Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) accounted for two of them and senior Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) tallied the third. The Eagles had a few good chances to score, but they couldn't push anyone across. The team finished the night leaving 11 on base.

One of the Owls cranked out a home run in the bottom of the third to give the team its initial lead. It was the first one that any player has hit off sophomore Tyler Shuck (6-1) (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS), who started for the Eagles.

Kennesaw State added to its advantage in the fourth frame with a bases-clearing double that scored three runs and awarded the team its final 4-0 margin of victory.

Sophomore Nikolas Bitner (Palm Coast, FL/Flagler Palm Coast HS/Indian River) relieved Shuck in the fourth inning and tossed the next 4.1 frames. The starter finished the night tagged with his first loss of the season. Bitner let up just two hits and struck out four of the 19 batters that he faced.

Senior Justin Gill (Winter Haven, FL/Lake Region HS/Polk State) faced the last batter of the night and threw four pitches before the Owl popped up to senior Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman HS) at third base.

The three hits tie for the lowest cranked out by FGCU in a game this season and the shutout was just the third so far.

Up Next
The Eagles will cross Alligator Alley once again to take on the University of Miami Hurricanes at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16. This will be the third midweek game between the two teams, as they played once at Mark Light Field and once at Swanson Stadium last week. The Hurricanes claimed victories in both of those meetings.

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 589-349-3 overall record (.628) and a 189-104 (.644) 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 76 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.
 
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