FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (28-17, 13-4 ASUN) was narrowly edged by Stetson (16-28, 5-12), 3-2, Sunday afternoon at the FGCU Softball Complex.
"Congratulations to our seniors today. I am glad that we could honor them before the game for everything they've done for this program over the past few years," said head coach
David Deiros said. "We have some more work to do this week against Lipscomb and also as we head into the ASUN Tournament."
Before the contest, the Eagles honored their five seniors in
Bri Bennett, Brooke Clemens, Kate Kelly, Racquel Fournet and Riley Randolph.
The Eagles' bats were kept quiet midway through the contest as they accounted for three hits while stranding four runners. Starting pitcher
Randolph (St. Petersburg, FL./Northeast HS) went six full innings scattering five hits as she fanned six Hatters with no walks. Her fourth strikeout of the game in the bottom of the fourth went down as her 200th of the year becoming just the third pitcher in FGCU history to hit the 200 mark in one season.
Through nine complete and with no score, the international tiebreaker rule went into effect in the 10th – the last batter out in the previous inning is placed on second to start the next frame. Stetson broke out with three runs on four hits to take the ball game's first lead.
FGCU commenced the bottom of the 10th with freshman
McKenna Batterton (Norco, CA./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) on second base. With one out, sophomore
Haley Morrell (Tampa, FL./Academy of Holy Names) lined a single up the middle to put runners on the corners. Up next,
Fournet (Windermere, FL./Windermere Preparatory School)
hit a chopper to second that scored Batterton as freshman
Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, FL./Bartram Trail HS) cleared the bags with a triple off the right-center wall to score Morrell. Down just one, with two away, a liner to third would stave off the Eagles' rally as their 10-game win streak came to an end.
Sophomore
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, FL./South Sumter HS) gets tagged with the loss after pitching four innings of relief. On offense the Green and Blue manufactured eight hits as Morrell and
Clemens (West Rotunda, FL./Florida) each went 2-for-5.
Single Season 200 Strikeout Club
1. 269 - Rachael Edinger - 2006
2. 235 - Rachael Edinger - 2007
3. 220 - Kelly Powe - 2004
4. 206 - Kelly Powe - 2005
5. 202 - Riley Randolph - 2019
Up Next
FGCU will host Lipscomb (35-13-1, 13-4 ASUN) Thursday-Friday May 2-3. Thursday's doubleheader will start at 5 p.m. Both games will be aired on ESPN +. Friday's finale is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Both teams are currently tied for first in the conference.
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 635-331-3 (.657), going 149-88 (.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.
