FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (2-0) walked away two wins Friday night, first taking down Delaware (1-1), 4-1 and capped off the night with a thrilling 4-3 walk-off win over Boston College (1-1) at the FGCU Softball Complex.
"Tonight was two very different games. The results were great for us in both cases but they couldn't have started any differently," said head coach
David Deiros. "We took the big lead early and had to go ahead and fight off [Delaware's] advances in the last three innings. Boston College then took the lead and we just kept on battling and came away with the win in extra innings."
FGCU 4 | Delaware 1
FGCU wasted no time getting on the board scoring two runs on two hits. A pair of walks by
Sammi Poehlman (Ormond Beach, Fla./SeaBreeze/Daytona State) and
Johneisha Rowe (Avon Park, Fla./Sebring) and a sac bunt single by
Haley Morrell (Tampa, Fla./Academy of Holy Names) loaded the bags. Two batters later,
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter) roped a double to left for the 2-0 lead.
In the second frame, FGCU produced three hits on two runs.
Mikenzie Vaughn (Kennesaw, Ga./FSW) started off the inning with a double to left-center as she was moved to third on a sac bunt by
Kacie Huber (Dade, City, Fla./Pasco HS).
McKenna Batterton (Norco, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt) stepped in and laced a single up the middle scoring Vaughn and pinch-runner
Maddy Johnson (Lake Wales, Fla./Lake Region/FSW).
Mesiemore continued to roll, keeping the Blue Hens hitless until the fifth inning where eventually, they scored their lone run.
The Bushnell, Fla., native came away with FGCU's first victory of 2020 as she tossed a complete four-hit game, fanning eight batters.
FGCU 4 | Boston College 3
BC jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second and made it 3-0 in the third. FGCU responded though, in its own bottom half with two runs on one hit.
Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail) sparked the inning reaching on an error as
Abbey Thomas (Fort Myers, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) then walked. Batterton's fielder's choice bunt to the pitcher loaded the bags.
Hope Hernandez's (Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain/Troy) single up the middle gave the Green and Blue's its first hit along with two runs.
Davenport tied the game for FGCU with a double to left, bringing Poehlman in who reached on a single and scored from second after swiping the bag.
With the International Tiebreaker Rule now in effect – the last batter out of the previous inning gets placed on second –
Ahnie Jumper (Clewiston, Fla./Plantation American Heritage) was now in scoring position to start the eighth. BC intentionally walked Batterton as a sac bunt from Hernandez moved them to second and third. On the very next pitch, Jumper gave FGCU the walk-off win coming home on a wild pitch.
Sarah Lawton (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross/FSW) picked up the win after tossing three innings of work yielding just one hit, one walk, while fanning four batters. Davenport led the team at the plate with two hits, meanwhile, Hernandez ended the game with two RBI.
Up Next
FGCU returns tomorrow night facing Georgetown (0-2) at 6 p.m. and end the night facing LIU (1-1) at 8:15 pm.
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the-minute information on the FGCU softball program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_Softball and Instagram at fgcusoftball and stay tuned at FGCUAthletics.com.
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!
COACH DEIROS
The founding father of FGCU softball, David Deiros is in his 18th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 643-337-3 (.656), going 147-90 (.620) in the ASUN, having 13 seasons with a winning record, and nine campaigns with 35 wins. Deiros is a former head coach at the 1998 Florida State Runner-up Lely High School in Naples and is the founding head coach of the 1999 District Champion/2001 Regional Runner-up Gulf Coast High School in Naples.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 80 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 20 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.
