BOCA RATON, FL – In its first midweek game of the 2020 season, the FGCU baseball team (0-4) came out on the losing side of a back-and-forth battle against FAU (4-0) on Tuesday night at the FAU Baseball Stadium. In a contest that saw three lead changes, it was ultimately the Owls that were able to walk away with the final 6-4 victory.

Eight different arms made appearances for the Eagles during what proved to be a staff game in Boca Raton. The Owls also utilized their bullpen, throwing six different pitchers throughout the night.

"I thought our energy level throughout the night was awesome," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We just have to find a way not to beat ourselves. If we can cut down on our mistakes, I know we are going to be a pretty good baseball team. It's early. We're only four games in and it's a long season. There's no need to panic. We have a good ball club."

FAU was the first to strike, as the team put up its first run of the night in the bottom of the first. After loading up the bases, an Eagle miscue allowed the home team to get on the board, earning an early 1-0 lead.

Senior Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS) responded for the Green and Blue two innings later with a two-out RBI single that brought in junior Brian Ellis (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty HS) to even things up at 1-apiece. FAU pulled its starting southpaw following that play, bringing in the Owls' second arm of the night just 2.2 innings in. The new arm was unable to stop the scoring, as senior Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) doubled to center field, plating senior Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS), Brait and junior Brandon Dorsey (Fort Myers, FL/Wallace Dothan CC) to put the Eagles on top 4-1.

In its half of the frame, FAU chipped away at the lead with an RBI double and a sac fly that made it a 4-3 ballgame.

After tossing three frames, starting pitcher Nikolas Bitner (Palm Coast, FL/Indian River State), a junior, was relieved by senior Sebastian Gruszecki (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional HS) in the bottom of the fourth. In his first start of the season, Bitner struck out two batters and was charged with as many earned runs.

Gruszecki held onto the ball for 1.1 scoreless innings and recorded one punchout in his second appearance of the season. Both sophomore Brandt Sundean (Lakeland, FL/Collegiate HS) and junior Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS) also came out of the bullpen until junior Gus Carter (Melbourne, FL/FSW) took over in the bottom of the sixth.

The bottom of the sixth saw the Owls stage their comeback when a two-out, go-ahead single put FAU back on top 5-4. The team had a chance to do further damage, but Carter came back with a strikeout that ended the inning. Both of the runners that scored were Shuck's (0-1), which eventually tagged him with his first loss of the season.

Both sophomore Levi Shuck (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS) and junior Bryan Wilcox (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) made relief appearances following Carter's before senior Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, FL/State College of Florida-Manatee) took over in the bottom of the eighth. While the Eagles' offense was struggling to get things going, the Owls added to their lead in that frame with an RBI single that pushed the advantage to 6-4.

The late scoring proved to be the deciding factor as the Eagles couldn't come up with an answer. Throughout the night, FGCU left nine runners on base.

Sophomore Corey Clement (Pembroke Pines, FL/West Broward HS) started his first game with the Green and Blue, earning the position at first base. Both sophomore Hunter Fornari (Daytona Beach, FL/Spruce Creek HS) and Ellis also tallied the team's first two stolen bases of the season.

The team now has its sights set on Friday, Feb. 21 when it will welcome Kent State for the Eagles' home opener. First pitch of the three-game series is slated for 6:30 p.m., with 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. games following on Saturday and Sunday. All three contests will be streamed on YouTube Live.

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 599-362-3 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 81 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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