DELAND, Fla. – In the first game of the 2019 ASUN championship, the top-seeded FGCU baseball team (34-20) fell in a 7-5 heartbreaker to the sixth-seeded Stetson Hatters (25-30) on Wednesday at Melching Field.

"I thought that we showed up and played some good ball at first," head coach Dave Tollett said. "But then some things didn't go our way in that final ninth inning. We have some adjustments to make tonight, but we will be back tomorrow and ready to compete. I know that this team isn't done yet."

A three-run ninth inning propelled the Hatters past the regular season champions. The loss is the first the Eagles have suffered in the opening round of the tournament since a 2016 defeat at the hands of UNF. 

Both teams put pressure on the starting pitchers in the first inning, leaving a combined five runners stranded through the opening six outs. While Stetson worked 19 pitches off of junior Mason Studstill in the first frame, the Green and Blue saw over 30 from ASUN Freshman of the Year Daniel Paret.

The Eagles drew first blood via an infield single off the bat of freshman Jalen Townsend in the bottom of the second that sent junior Kohl Gilmore home. Gilmore (Fort Pierce, FL/John Carroll HS/Indian River) had led off the inning with FGCU's first hit of the day, a stand-up double, and was sent over to third after sophomore Christian Proffitt's sac bunt.
 
The Green and Blue struck again with a three-spot in the bottom of the third that extended the lead to 4-0. Senior Jay Hayes (Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman HS) got things started with the team's second stand-up double of the day and was later brought in by classmate Eric Gonzalez (Miami, FL/American HS/ASA College). In his second at-bat of the day, Gilmore took Paret deep to right field for a two-run homer that scored freshman Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Venice HS). The four-run advantage was the Eagles' largest over the Hatters since an 11-6 FGCU victory in 2016.

Stetson used an RBI single and a wild pitch to get on the board in the top of the fourth and cut FGCU's lead in half. The Hatters worked the tying run onto first base, but Studstill (Titusville, FL/Rockledge HS/Eastern Florida State) ended the inning with his fifth strikeout of the game.

After a Stetson miscue put him in scoring position, Townsend (Oviedo, FL/Winter Park HS) snuck across while the Hatters were turning a double play in the bottom of the fourth. The run re-extended the team's lead to 5-2.

Stetson responded to the push with an RBI single in the top of the fifth and a long ball in the top of the sixth that pulled the team within one run. After five innings of work, Studstill handed the mound over to sophomore Nikolas Bitner. The starter finished his outing after allowing six hits and fanning five.

Bitner (Palm Coast, FL/Flagler Palm Coast HS/Indian River) tossed the next 1.2 innings and, after Stetson put runners on second and third, was relieved by junior Hunter McGarry in the top of seventh. With two away, McGarry (Bradenton, FL/Bradenton Christian School/State College of Florida) took a Hatter down swinging to end the frame.

In the top of the ninth, a sac fly off the bat of Stetson's Jorge Arenas tied the ballgame up at 5-5. A suicide squeeze and a single sent into right field handed the Hatters a 7-5 lead, their first of the game, and shifted the momentum in favor of the host team.

Despite trailing by two runs, the Eagles still kept their heads up and fought through the ninth inning. Junior Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS) reached on an error and, after being hit by a pitch, senior Keith Stevens reached first as the tying run. Junior Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) entered the game to pinch run for Stevens (Miami, FL/Miami Killian HS/Hillsborough CC), putting two of the best baserunners in the league on the base paths, but the effort fell short as the Hatters held on for the win.

Up Next
With the loss, the Eagles are now sent into the loser's bracket. The victor of No. 2 Liberty vs. No. 5 UNF will advance to the winner's bracket semifinal, while the losing team will take on FGCU at 11 a.m. on Thursday. The tournament is a double-elimination format, so the Eagles must win their game tomorrow morning in order to remain in the postseason tournament.

WE'VE GOT YOUR SEAT
All Championship information can be found HERE and the links for the All-Tournament Pass and Day Passes are linked below.
Day 1 Pass click HERE
Day 2 Pass click HERE
Day 3 Pass click HERE
Day 4 Pass click HERE
All-Tournament Pass click HERE

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 599-357-3 overall record (.626) and a 199-109 (.646) 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 five-time ASUN Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to five 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 78 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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