NEW ORLEANS – The FGCU baseball team (0-3) will leave New Orleans still searching for its first win of the season, as the Eagles dropped a 6-1 result to Tulane (3-0) to cap off a three-game series at Turchin Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Due to FGCU's travel plans, the contest was called off in the eighth inning.

Senior Marc Coffers' (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) two doubles, as well as junior Brandon Dorsey's (Fort Myers, FL/Wallace Dothan CC) double accounted for the team's only hits of the day. Senior Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) was responsible for the team's lone RBI, as his groundout in the fourth inning pushed Dorsey across.

"We knew coming into this weekend that getting a win was not going to be easy," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Tulane is a solid ball club that is operating under very strong leadership and hats off to them for coming out and getting things done. That being said, I do not think that they were an unbeatable team. We had chances throughout the weekend, but we just weren't able to take advantage of them. This one stings a bit, but we will head back (to Fort Myers) and get to work. We're only three games into the season."

The freshman duo of Ronaldo Gallo (Miami, FL/Miami Southridge) and Johnny Long (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) earned their first career starts with the Green and Blue during today's matchup. Gallo started with the ball, while Long was behind the dish.

The rookie pitcher's first inning was a little shaky, as an RBI single allowed Tulane to score before the Eagles for the first time all weekend, but he then settled in and allowed just one base runner over the next two frames.

After Dorsey's run tied things up in the top of the fourth, a three-run Green Wave homer in the bottom of the inning allowed the home team to pull away again. Junior Gus Carter (Melbourne,FL/FSW) then relieved Gallo, who walked away from his first outing with five strikeouts.   

Carter tossed the next three innings and faced two over the minimum. While he was on the mound, Tulane did tack on another run with a sac fly in the bottom of the fifth, but it was unearned.

On the offensive side, the Eagles struggled to string anything together after the fourth inning. Junior Brian Ellis (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty HS), who walked in the fifth, and Coffers, who doubled in the seventh, were the only two players that reached base from that point forward, as Tulane's pitching shut the team down.  

Following Carter's three-inning stretch, three different arms came out of the bullpen for the Green and Blue. In his first appearance at FGCU, senior Dylan Verdonk (Losser, Netherlands/Seton Hall) took over for the junior in the bottom of the seventh and faced three batters before ending the frame.

Junior Joey Mugavero (Estero, FL/FSW) also made his Eagle debut, as he started on the bump in the bottom of the eighth. After recording two-consecutive outs, he gave up a hit to Tulane's Simon Baumgardt, who eventually came around to score the team's final run. Sophomore Cody Woodring (Lakeland, FL/McKeel Academy of Technology) faced the final three batters of the ballgame, allowing one hit as he closed things out.  

Though FGCU was hoping to get into the win column this weekend, there is no need for the team to panic. Tulane, which finished last season with a No. 97 ranking in the RPI, has swept opponents in season-openers at Turchin Stadium for three-straight years. Despite the loss, the Eagles were extremely effective at shutting down sophomore outfielder Hudson Haskins, a Preseason All-American from four different news outlets, as he was limited to just two hits throughout the weekend.

The team will look to pick up its first win during Tuesday's midweek game at FAU (Feb. 18). First pitch against the Owls is set for 6:30 p.m. at their home stadium in Boca Raton.

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 599-361-3 overall record (.623) 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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