FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (28-16, 13-3 ASUN) took sole possession of first place in the ASUN with a pair of wins over Stetson (15-28, 4-12 ASUN) Saturday afternoon. In game one the Eagles defeated the Hatters, 2-1, in walk-off fashion before snagging game two, 3-0.
"Riley [Randolph], Marissa [Mesiemore] and the defense were outstanding. We did just enough on offense – especially in game one – to get the sweep," head coach
David Deiros said. "Now we turn our attention in celebrating Bri [Bennett], Kate [Kelly], Racquel [Fournet], Brooke [Clemens] and Randolph tomorrow."
FGCU 2 | Stetson 1
The Eagles struggled early on leaving a total of four runners on the bags through three frames as Stetson took the 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth using one hit and one error.
FGCU threatened in the sixth but would strand two as they rallied in the final inning facing one out. Sophomore
Farley Callaghan (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL./Ponte Vedra HS) commenced the inning with a leadoff single through the left-side. Freshman
McKenna Batterton (Norco, CA./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) then got onboard getting plunked on her right elbow. Senior
Kate Kelly (Cape Coral, FL./Seminole State College) executed a perfect sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position. This allowed sophomore
Haley Morrell (Tampa, FL./Academy of Holy Names) to dig in the box and drive a 1-1 pitch to right-center, clearing the bags for the walk-off win.
Starting senior pitcher
Riley Randolph (St. Petersburg, FL./Northeast HS) moves to 17-7, scattering five hits while giving up just one run. She fanned seven batters in the process.
FGCU 3 | Stetson 0
Game two saw the Eagles jump on the board in back-to-back innings. In the bottom of the fourth, freshman
Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, FL./Bartram Trail HS) led off with a knock to up the middle. After a grounder moved her to second, Callaghan brought her in hitting a bloop single down the right-field line. In the fifth, the Green and Blue produced a pair of runs using three hits and one error.
Batterton singled to start the inning as freshman
Ashley Hayes (Naples, FL./Barron Collier HS) was called into run for her, who then raced to second off a sac bunt from Kelly. Morrell then reached on an error and stole second to put runners at second and third. Senior
Racquel Fournet (Windermere, FL./Windermere Preparatory School) stepped in and laced an RBI single to center. Davenport matched it with a base hit of her own to make it 3-0 FGCU.
Over the final two frames, starting sophomore pitcher
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, FL./South Sumter HS) gave up just one hit with a pair of strikeouts to secure the shutout for the Eagles. She is now 10-4 in the circle, limiting the Hatters to just two hits. In the process, the Bushnell native now matches her win-total from her freshman season.
At the plate, Davenport capped off game two going 2-for-3 with one RBI. In both games combined, Batterton finished the day going 3-for-4.
With both wins, FGCU now sets a program-record for most consecutive ASUN victories at 10 (previously eight on two occasions, 2008, 2012).
Up Next
FGCU will look for the series sweep tomorrow Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. The Eagles will also honor its five seniors with a pre-game ceremony beginning at 12:40 p.m.
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 635-330-3 (.657), going 149-87 (.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 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 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.
