FORT MYERS, Fla. – A pair of home runs off the bats of junior
Kohl Gilmore and freshman
Joe Kinker helped power the FGCU baseball team (28-14, 10-3 ASUN) towards a 6-3 win over North Alabama (11-30, 5-10 ASUN) Friday night at Swanson Stadium.
"It's a Friday night win and we'll take it," head coach
Dave Tollett said. "It was not pretty for either team, but a win on Friday night makes me happy. We need to improve across the board before we come back tomorrow. From an offensive standpoint, we came through when we needed to and played some small ball which we haven't done in a while."
Gilmore (Fort Pierce, FL/John Carroll HS/Indian River) put the Eagles up 1-0 in the bottom of the second after his solo shot out to right field. The home run was his third of the season.
The Lions responded with a two-run homer of their own in the next frame via leadoff man Davis Elliott. After a few miscues by the Green and Blue, UNA managed to send another runner home and took a 3-1 lead by the end of the inning.
Senior
Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman HS) chipped away at the lead in the next frame with a sac fly that plated senior
Marc Coffers and trimmed the Lion advantage down to 3-2.
Things were quiet over the next three innings, as Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS) was the only batter from either side to record a hit.
Gilmore got the offense going again with a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Junior
Anthony Gonnella (Riverview, FL/Riverview HS/State College of Florida-Manatee) drew a walk to put runners on the corners. After coming in as a pinch runner for Gilmore, freshman
Jalen Townsend (Oviedo, FL/Winter Park HS) scored the tying run on a fielder's choice.
Junior
Mason Studstill (Titusville, FL/Rockledge HS/Eastern Florida State) pitched a quality start through seven innings of work. He fanned six and allowed just two earned runs on as many hits. He was relieved by sophomore
Nikolas Bitner at the start of the eighth inning, ending his night with a no-decision.
Bitner (Palm Coast, FL/Flagler Palm Coast HS/Indian River) faced three batters and recorded two outs before handing the mound over to junior
Hunter McGarry (4-1), who ended the inning with a swinging K.
The Eagles' offense struck in the bottom of the eighth as Kinker hit a three-run homer, scoring senior
Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College) and junior pinch hitter
Cameron Krzeminski (Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas HS), who hit for senior
Keith Stevens (Miami, FL/Miami Killian HS/Hillsborough CC). Kinker's sixth home run of the year handed the Green and Blue the final 6-3 advantage.
McGarry (Bradenton, FL/Bradenton Christian School/State College of Florida) was awarded the win for keeping the Lions off the board while FGCU took the lead. Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS), Gilmore and Kinker led the Green and Blue offense with two hits apiece and combined for five RBIs. Though the Eagles were able to come away with the win, a string of errors almost prevented them from doing so. The six miscues tied for the fourth-most in a single game in FGCU history.
Up Next
The teams will return to Swanson Stadium on Saturday for a 2 p.m. game and the series will wrap up with a 1 p.m. finale on Sunday.
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 593-351-3 overall record (.628) and a 193-104 (.649) 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 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 77 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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