FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (22-9, 4-2 ASUN) completed an ASUN Conference sweep over Lipscomb (15-15, 3-6 ASUN) with a 6-2 win Sunday afternoon at Swanson Stadium.

"It is really tough to get a sweep in this conference," head coach Dave Tollett said. "When you do it, you have to really enjoy it. It's a special weekend when you can do that. The double play ball was big for us today. Every time they got something going, we were able to roll through it. Our offense has also been unbelievable. We have a threat in spots one through nine, which is something we haven't had in this program before."

The Eagles picked up where they left off yesterday and tallied three runs in the first frame. Senior Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman HS) opened up the scoring with an RBI double that plated junior Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS). Fellow junior Kohl Gilmore (Fort Pierce, FL/John Carroll HS/Indian River) and freshman Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS) each added an RBI groundout that scored junior Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS) and Hayes, putting the home team up 3-0.

Sophomore Tyler Shuck (6-0) (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS) started on the hill for FGCU and kept Lipscomb off the board until the fourth inning when Maddux Houghton singled to center field and brought in teammate Chris Bashlor.

The Green and Blue responded with one more run in the fourth when junior Anthony Gonnella (Riverview, FL/Riverview HS/State College of Florida-Manatee) came home after a miscue by the Bisons' defense.

Shuck was relieved in the sixth inning by senior Justin Gill (Winter Haven, FL/Lake Region HS/Polk State). The southpaw struck out the first batter that he faced and cruised through the next two outs.

Gonnella added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when he launched his second home run of the season out to right field. Senior Keith Stevens (Miami, FL/Miami Killian HS/Hillsborough CC), who had started off the frame with a double, scored on the play.

Lipscomb's Haddon Adams opened up the eighth inning with a solo shot after working a full count. The homer trimmed the Eagles' lead down to 6-2, but the visitors would get no closer. Sophomore Nikolas Bitner (Palm Coast, FL/Flagler Palm Coast HS/Indian River) tossed the final 1.1 frames for FGCU and was awarded his first save of the season for keeping the Bisons off the boards, despite having the tying run on deck.

Shuck earned his sixth victory of the season. With two more wins, he will enter a six-way tie for seventh place in single-season wins on the Eagle's all-time charts.

This was the first conference series sweep for FGCU since 2017. During that campaign, the Eagles swept three ASUN opponents (NJIT, Lipscomb and Kennesaw State) and eventually captured the 2017 ASUN Championship.

The Green and Blue turned a season-high four doubles plays in today's game. Garcia was credited with an assist in all three. The junior is now up to 262 career assists and needs just 19 more to register on the FGCU top 10 list.

Up Next
The Green and Blue will next face the Miami Hurricanes (20-11, 7-7 ACC) in a home-and-home midweek series. The first game will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9 at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. The teams will then play at Swanson Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. The game will serve as Military Appreciation Day and will be sponsored by Bank of America. The first game will be the 25th meeting in the series between the two teams, which the Hurricanes currently lead 19-5.

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 587-346-3 overall record (.629) and a 187-103 (.644) 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 75 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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