DAYTONA BEACH, FL – At the end of the longest game in program history, the FGCU baseball team (4-6) emerged victorious, downing Bethune-Cookman (4-7) by a score of 5-3 through 16 innings of play on Saturday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. With the result, the Eagles have secured the overall series against the Wildcats, marking their first series win of the 2020 season.

The 16-inning contest ties with a game from 2011 that also went that distance and ended with a 6-3 FGCU win over Mercer.  

"I think this is a big win for our club," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We kept fighting. We were down by two, we tied it, and we lost the lead but then we battled and fought through the scoreless innings. For us to get a win tonight is great. This might be the win we needed. We've lost several tight ones already this year and this might be the one that hopefully gets us turned around. We'll find out tomorrow if that's how it'll be."

Both teams combined for 18 hits throughout the 16 innings of play. All but eight of the knocks were recorded in either the seventh inning or later, as it took each side a while to get anything going against the starting arms. Junior Brian Ellis' (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty HS) single in the fourth was the first hit of the ballgame altogether. He stole second to work his way into scoring position, but was stranded as the inning came to a close.

The Wildcats claimed their first lead of the weekend in their half of the fifth. After doubling to left field, marking his team's first hit of the day, Matt Garcia came in to score on an RBI single that handed Bethune-Cookman a 1-0 edge.

For three-consecutive innings, the Eagles had chances to score but ended up stranding two runners on the base paths.

After tossing 6.0 innings, junior Nikolas Bitner (Palm Coast, FL/Indian River State) handed over the mound to sophomore Brandt Sundean (Lakeland, FL/Collegiate HS). He finished his start tagged with one earned run and fanned a season-high five while scattering a pair of hits. Sundean faced two batters, recording an out and allowing a ground-rule double, before being relieved by junior Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS). The inherited runner later scored off an RBI single to add on to the home team's lead.

Up 2-0, the Wildcats pulled their starting pitcher and brought in a new arm to begin the eighth. The Eagles, who had struggled against Bethune-Cookman's southpaw, took advantage of the change and tied up the game.

Ellis, senior Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) and senior Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS) earned three-consecutive walks, which forced the Wildcats to pull their initial reliever. After recording an out, the new arm faced sophomore Joe Kinker (Northport, FL/Viera HS), who ripped a single up the middle and plated Coffers, cutting the home team's lead in half. Junior Brandon Dorsey (Fort Myers, FL/Wallace Dothan CC) then skied a sac fly into left field and pushed Brait across to complete the scoring and knot the teams up at two runs apiece.

At the start of the eighth, the Eagles brought Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, FL/State College of Florida-Manatee) out from the bullpen. He and Bethune-Cookman's Isaak Gutierrez kept one another's teams in check, forcing the game into extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, freshman Kyle Machado (Punta Gorda, FL/Charlotte HS) gave FGCU its first lead of the game, as his sac fly brought in Brait and put the team up 3-2. In their half of the inning, the Wildcats responded with a scoring play of their own that matched both sides up at three runs apiece.

Sophomore Jalen Townsend (Oviedo, FL/Winter Park HS) kicked off the 11th with a double that was smacked down the left field line and a sac bunt sent him over to third base, but the Eagles were unable to plate their leadoff baserunner.

The Wildcats quickly worked a runner on in the bottom of the inning, which ended the night for McGarry. Freshman Ronaldo Gallo (Miami, FL/Miami Southridge) took over the bump and quickly recorded two outs to send the game into the 12th.

Four scoreless innings later, Coffers plated FGCU's fourth run of the night as his RBI single brought in Ellis, who had doubled earlier in the frame. Senior Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) later tacked on an insurance run when his sac fly pushed Coffers across to put the team up 5-3.

Gallo closed out the game taking down all three batters for the Wildcats, handing him his first win of the season (1-1). The rookie essentially pitched a full start, as he threw 5.2 frames and struck out a career-high six batters. He did not allow a single hit and walked just two Wildcats as he held Bethune-Cookman scoreless.

Tonight's game marks the first time that the Eagles have played in extra innings since an 11-inning game against Rutgers last season. FGCU also picked up the win in that game, downing the Scarlet Knights 4-1 thanks to a walk-off homer from Kinker.

The teams will wrap up the series with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Eagles will be going for their first sweep of the 2020 season.

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 603-364-3 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 entries.
 
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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