CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (24-13, 6-3 ASUN) fell 13-4 to No. 22 Miami (26-12, 10-8 ACC) on Tuesday night at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes currently have an RPI of 20 and are nationally ranked in multiple polls after their sweep over Virginia last weekend. 

"I thought we got a good start from Sebastian in his first-ever start," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Our bullpen was not good after that. We gave up eight runs and that's hard to come back from. This was definitely one of the best Miami teams that we've faced. On the offensive side, we did have 11 hits but we left 12 guys on. We could've made the game interesting if we could've pitched a little bit better."
 
The Hurricanes put up a pair of runs in their opening at-bats to take an early 2-0 lead over the Green and Blue. Senior Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman HS) responded for the Eagles two frames later with sac fly that plated junior Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) and trimmed the deficit down to 2-1.

Junior Sebastian Gruszecki (0-2) (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional HS) made his first start of the season in tonight's game. After the initial two runs, Gruszecki kept the Hurricanes off the board for the next three frames and fanned a career-high five batters in his longest outing as an Eagle (4.2 innings). He was relieved by sophomore Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS) in the bottom of the fifth after letting up three runs that extended the Hurricanes' lead to 5-1.  Those three runs were the only ones charged to the starter.

FGCU acted on the push with three runs of its own in the top of the sixth. Freshman Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS) and senior Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College) reached on a walk and a single and were moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt by junior Cameron Krzeminski (Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas HS). Coffers brought both in with a double that made it a two-run ballgame at 5-3.

The Canes got to work quickly in the bottom of the sixth and tagged a run against Shuck within the first three at-bats. Sophomore Gus Carter (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie HS/Florida Southwestern) and junior Brenden Heiss (Algonquin, IL/Jacob HS/John A. Logan/Arkansas) each made relief appearances during the frame. Both were charged in Miami's eventual scoring spree that put the team up 13-3.

Juniors Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, FL/John Carroll HS/Indian River) and Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) reached one after the other in the seventh, forcing the Canes to make a pitching change. Freshman Hunter Fornari (Daytona Beach, FL/Spruce Creek HS), who pinch ran for Gilmore, was brought in on an RBI single off the bat of Gonzalez for the Eagles' fourth run of the night. The run was the first of Fornari's career and the last of the night for both teams.

Up Next
The Green and Blue will return to Swanson Stadium to host Jacksonville (21-16, 7-5 ASUN) for an ASUN conference series April 18-20. The teams will face off at 6:30 p.m. both Thursday and Friday night before the series finale at 2 p.m. on Saturday. FGCU currently leads the all-time series between the two teams 20-16 and holds a 9-7 edge at the Nest. Jacksonville was 64 in the RPI last week and is currently third in the ASUN Conference standings behind FGCU (second) and Liberty (first), making this weekend a battle between two of the best teams in the league. 

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 589-350-3 overall record (.627) 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 36 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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