JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (26-16, 11-3 ASUN) took two games from UNF (22-19, 4-10) Saturday afternoon, edging the Ospreys 4-3 in game one, followed by a 6-3 score in game two at the UNF Softball Complex.

"Today we played two solid softball games. Marissa [Mesiemore] and Riley [Randolph] did a good job of containing their bats," said head coach David Deiros. "We made all the routine plays and a couple of special ones along the way. More importantly, we swung the bats well and put pressure on them in every inning. We scored 10 runs today altogether but we probably left another 20 on base."

FGCU 4 | UNF 3
Without a score through three frames, FGCU finally got on the board producing two runs on one hit along with a pair of errors in the fourth. Two straight errors put senior Brooke Clemens (West Rotunda, FL./Florida) and junior Mikenzie Vaughn (Kennesaw, GA./Florida Southwestern) on. Freshman Ashley Hayes (Naples, FL./Barron Collier HS), who ran for Clemens, swiped third to put runners in scoring position. Two batters later, Sammi Poehlman (Ormond Beach, FL./Daytona State) hit a chopper to third for the first run as freshman McKenna Batterton (Norco, CA./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) smacked a single to center for the 2-0 lead.

UNF responded with a run in its half but the Eagles added the insurance in the sixth. Sophomore Farley Callaghan (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL./Ponte Vedra HS) started the frame with a walk and a stolen base for FGCU. One batter later, Batterton singled to center to put Eagles on the corners. Senior Kate Kelly (Cape Coral, FL./Seminole State College) then dug in and cleared the bags with a double to right.

The Ospreys brought it to with one scoring two in the bottom of the sixth but senior starting pitcher Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, FL./Northeast HS) thwarted any chance of a comeback striking out two in the seventh, followed by a 5-3 putout for the final. She scattered just three hits, struck out 10 batters (eighth time this year she's reached the double-digit mark) while walking just two as she moved to 16-7.

Kelly capped off game one going 2-for-4 along with two RBI.

FGCU 6 | UNF 3
The Eagles kicked off the scoring in the third using a UNF error. With two away, sophomore Haley Morrell (Tampa, FL./Academy of Holy Names) and senior Racquel Fournet (Windermere, FL./Windermere Preparatory School) provided back-to-back singles as freshman Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, FL./Bartram Trail HS) knocked another single to second that got away from the centerfielder, allowing Morrell to score.

FGCU pushed three more across the very next frame. With the bases loaded on three singles and one out, Kelly cracked one through the right side scoring Vaughn. Two batters later, Fournet laced one to the opposite side in left pushing two more across.

Ahead 4-0, FGCU tallied two in the seventh off two hits. Facing two out, sophomore Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, FL./Atlantic Coast HS) brought home Callaghan and Vaughn with a double to left field. UNF didn't go away quietly though as starting sophomore pitcher Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, FL./South Sumter HS) was pulled with the bases loaded. She would get charged with the three runs off a double from Randolph as a pop fly to left capped off game two.

Mesiemore moves to 9-4 on this season, yielding just three hits in her six innings. Fournet and Bauman finished 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Up Next
FGCU returns home to face Stetson (15-24, 4-8 ASUN) next Saturday-Sunday, Apr. 27-28. Sunday's game will be Senior Day as FGCU will recognize its five seniors prior to the 1 p.m. start time.

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 Eagles to a 633-330-3 (.657), going 147-87 (.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 in November and April 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.