NEW ORLEANS – Though the FGCU baseball team (0-1) led early in the game, Tulane (1-0) would not go down without a fight and eventually earned a 4-3 victory over the Eagles on Friday night at Turchin Stadium. Despite the loss, the team still holds a 10-8 all-time advantage in season-openers.

Senior Alex Brait (Viera, Fla.) led the Eagles offensively, finishing the night with a pair of hits and one run. Both junior Brandon Dorsey (Fort Myers, Fla.) and senior Marc Coffers (Naples, Fla.) also stood out on the stat sheet as they tallied one RBI apiece.

"As the season goes on, we have to learn how to stay ahead once we've put the work in to earn a lead," head coach Dave Tollett said. "But it's early in the season and we're trying some different things out and putting people in certain situations they may not feel comfortable in to see what they can do. Obviously, I wanted us to be able to close the door once we got ahead in tonight's game, but Tulane is a very good ball club. They've been to Omaha, they've played in a lot of regionals and it's good for our guys to play at this level of competition." 

After a slow start offensively, the Eagles got the bats going in the top of the fourth. Sophomore Joe Kinker (Northport, Fla.) and Brait kicked off the inning with back-to-back singles and a throwing error by Tulane's starting arm later pushed Kinker across for the first run of the ballgame. Dorsey then sent Brait in with a sac fly and a groundout by Coffers plated classmate Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla.) to wrap up the three-spot frame.

The Green Wave attempted to mount a response in the bottom of the fourth and loaded up the bases. Starting pitcher Mason Studstill (Titusville, Fla.), a senior, settled in and answered the push with three punchouts to keep the home team off the board.

Studstill handed the ball over to junior Gus Carter (Melbourne, Fla.) in the bottom of the fifth, finishing his night with eight strikeouts. Tulane took advantage of the change and pushed a pair of runners across to make it a one-run game. Junior Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla.) took over the mound for the Eagles and tried to cut off the home team's rally, but another run tied things up at 3-apiece before he could end the frame.

After knocking on the Eagles' door, Tulane was finally able to take its first lead of the night after an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.

A few quiet innings later, things heated up in the top of the eighth when the bases were loaded with the Green and Blue. With one out on the board, freshman Kyle Machado (Punta Gorda, Fla.) was brought in to pinch hit, marking his first collegiate at-bat, but Tulane was able to turn a double play to shut down the Eagles' rally.

From there, the Green Wave was able to hold on for the win. Shuck, who threw 3.2 frames of relief and allowed one earned run, was tagged with the loss. Though the final result did not favor FGCU, the night was still highlighted by three Eagles that earned their first starts with the Green and Blue: freshman Kevin Conway (Port Charlotte, Fla.), junior PJ Cimo (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Dorsey.

The teams will return to action tomorrow for game two of the series. First pitch is slated for a 3 p.m. (EST) start at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium and will be streamed on Tulane's website.

For complete coverage of FGCU baseball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_Baseball and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU baseball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 599-359-3 overall record (.624) 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, 33 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 13 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.

E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
WE'VE GOT YOUR SEAT!
Single game tickets, group packages, and Spring Frequent Flyer Passes are on sale now. Single game tickets are good for all games occurring on a single day and are $7 for adults, $5 for youth (ages 3-15), and $5 for current or former US military service members.
 
Groups of 15 or more can enjoy a day at the ballpark with reserved block seating, group activities, and the choice of free FGCU gear or concessions. Packages start at just $7 per person. Call the ticket office at 239-590-7145 for more information or to book your group.
 
The Spring Frequent Flyer Pass allows multiple entries into Softball and Baseball during the 2020 regular season. Passes are available for 15, 30, and 60 entries for any regular season home game. They can be used in any combination until the pass is exhausted. Passes cost $60 for 15 entries, $105 for 30 entries, and $180 for 60 enties.
 
Single game tickets and Frequent Flyer Passes can be purchased in advance online at FGCUTickets.com or over the phone at 239-590-7145.

#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 80 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just eight-plus 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 women's basketball (2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. 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. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty-one consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall semester saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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