FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (25-13, 7-3 ASUN) cruised to a 12-1 victory over Jacksonville (21-17, 7-6 ASUN) on Thursday night under the lights at Swanson Stadium. This marks the third-straight year that the Eagles have won the opening game in a series between the two teams.

"This was a great Thursday night win for us against a solid club," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We got a great start from Gill and we had two big innings on offense that really set the tone for us. This was a good way to start the series but we have to put it behind us and be ready to go early in the morning tomorrow."

The Dolphins got to work quickly in their opening frame, using a single and a pair of walks to load the bases. Senior Justin Gill (1-3) (Winter Haven, FL/Lake Region HS/Polk State), who started on the hill for the Green and Blue, worked himself out of the jam and eventually ended the frame with a groundout.

Junior Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) was the first to put the Eagles on the board when he doubled down the right field line in the bottom of the first. Senior Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman HS) and junior Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS) came in on the play to give the Green and Blue an early 2-0 lead.

FGCU blew up its lead with a five-spot in the third frame. Senior Keith Stevens (Miami, FL/Miami Killian HS/Hillsborough CC) began the spree by drawing a bases-loaded walk that plated Brait. A fielder's choice one at-bat later sent Hayes home and junior Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, FL/John Carroll HS/Indian River) joined in on the spurt with a double that brought in senior Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College) and Garcia. Freshman Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS) wrapped up the scoring with an RBI single that scored Gilmore.

Gill kept the Dolphins off the board until the fourth inning, when they tagged up an unearned run to make the score 7-1.

The Eagles' bats got hot once again in the fifth inning as they used another five-spot to extend their lead. Kinker notched his second RBI of the night with a sac fly that pushed Stevens across and the long ball took over from there. Junior Anthony Gonnella (Riverview, FL/Riverview HS/State College of Florida-Manatee) launched a two-run shot to right center that brought Gilmore home and Brait added a two-run shot of his own that scored senior Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS). The homers put FGCU up 12-1.

Gill was retired in the top of the sixth by junior Brenden Heiss (Algonquin, IL/Jacob HS/John A. Logan/Arkansas) after his second-longest outing of the season. The starter gave up just four hits, fanned three and was not charged with any earned runs through 5.1 frames of work. The Dolphins worked the bases loaded in that inning, but Heiss wrapped things up with a swinging strikeout.

Heiss tossed the next full inning and fanned four batters without giving up any hits. He handed over the mound to freshman Cody Woodring (Lakeland, FL/McKeel Academy of Technology), who was tasked with recording the final six outs. Woodring notched first three collegiate strikeouts and faced the minimum number in the longest outing of his freshman campaign. Gill earned his first win of the season.

Tonight's offensive showing was well-balanced; it was the 11th game of the season that the team has finished with double-digit runs and the 19th with double-digit hits. Eight different Eagles recorded hits and seven finished the night with at least one RBI. FGCU tagged Jacksonville's starter with a season-high 11 runs. As a team, only five were left on base compared to the opponent's 11. Hayes led the defense with five assists.

Up Next
The Eagles and the Dolphins will return to Swanson Stadium tomorrow at noon for the second game of the series. Game two was originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m., but got bumped up due to inclement weather. The finale is still slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday.

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 590-350-3 overall record (.628) and a 190-104 (.646) 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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