FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (33-19, 15-7 ASUN) fell to Liberty (37-17, 15-8 ASUN) by a score of 4-2 on Friday night in one of the tightest matchups seen at Swanson Stadium this season. With the loss, the series between the Eagles and the Flames that decides the 2019 ASUN Regular Season Champion is now knotted up at 1-1.

"The game was decided in the first," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We made a couple of plays that they capitalized on and we weren't very sharp. They got the big hit, whereas we had them all last night. We needed one today. Gus Carter did an absolutely fabulous job, by far his best performance. Nikolas Bitner did a great job coming in and keeping the game close. We had a lot of chances and we left plenty of runners on, so we will have to do a better job. That being said, if you told me in August that we could come in and play one game for the conference championship, I would've taken it. So we're going to wipe our bruises away and be ready to go tomorrow."

The Flames' offense got to work early, tagging senior starter Justin Gill with three runs in the opening frame. Sophomore Gus Carter relieved Gill (Winter Haven, FL/Lake Region HS/Polk State) to start the second inning. Liberty used a sac fly to make it a 4-0 game, but a diving catch by freshman Jalen Townsend (Oviedo, FL/Winter Park HS) prevented any more scoring.

The initial 4-0 edge was the team's largest over the Eagles so far, as they never led by more than two during Thursday night's game.

Senior Keith Stevens (Miami, FL/Miami Killian HS/Hillsborough CC) was FGCU's first base runner of the night after reaching with an infield single to start the bottom of the second. Freshman Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS) and junior Kohl Gilmore got on to load up the bases, but all three were stranded at the end of the frame.

After three scoreless innings, the Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College) and Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS) cranked out back-to-back hits and were pushed across by Gilmore's (Fort Pierce, FL/John Carroll HS/Indian River) single through the right side, trimming the lead down to 4-2.

While the Green and Blue offense tried to rally, Carter (Melbourne, FL/Eau Gallie HS/Florida Southwestern) kept the visitors away from home plate. Coming into tonight's game, his longest outing was 1.2 innings and the most strikeouts he had recorded was three. After six innings of work, he was relieved at the start of the eighth by sophomore Nikolas Bitner. Carter finished his night with a career-high seven strikeouts and at one point retired nine straight Flames.

Bitner (Palm Coast, FL/Flagler Palm Coast HS/Indian River) cruised through the final six outs of the night and struck out four but did not receive any run support. Liberty's closer Evan Brabrand stifled the Eagles' offense as sophomore Christian Proffitt (Cape Coral, FL/Ida Baker HS) cranked out the team's only hit over the last three innings.

This was FGCU's first loss in ASUN Conference play at Swanson Stadium this season. The Eagles entered this series having swept Lipscomb, Jacksonville and North Alabama on their home field.

Up Next
The teams will be back in action tomorrow at 1 p.m. for the series finale. The winner of the rubber match will determine the 2019 Regular Season Champion. The Eagles will be going for their fifth title, having taken home the trophy in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014. Beginning at 12:30 p.m., head coach Dave Tollett will honor the six members of the class of 2019: Justin Gill, Eric Gonzalez, Kohl Gilmore, Jay Hayes, Evan Lumbert and Keith Stevens.

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 598-356-3 overall record (.627) and a 198-108 (.648) 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 soccer, women's soccer, and women's basketball again in 2018-19. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in spring 2018 and have outpaced their institution's undergraduate student body GPA each of the past twenty semesters. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl in 2017.
 
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