MADEIRA BEACH, FL – The FGCU softball team (18-7) swept Saturday's games in run-rule fashion first taking down Quinnipiac (0-6), 24-0, followed by an 11-3 victory over Holy Cross (2-8).
"It was a fantastic tournament. We won it by going 5-0 and I was really impressed on how we came out offensively," said head coach
David Deiros. "That was the best three-day showing we've had offensively all season long and it's a good time for that to happen with the start of ASUN play right around corner."
FGCU 24, Quinnipiac 0
The Eagles started the offensive outburst scoring five runs in the first frame, followed by a season-high nine runs in the third, three in the fourth and capped off the contest scoring seven in the fifth. The 24 runs is a new program record while the five home runs are the third-most in FGCU history (seven, 2007).
Four Eagles launched their first career home runs against the Bobcats –
Johneisha Rowe (Avon Park, FL/Sebring HS) and
Ashley Hayes (Naples, FL/ Barron Collier HS) in the third,
Jordyn Gendron (Tampa, FL/Wharton HS) in the fourth and
Kacie Huber (Dade City, FL/Pasco HS) in the fifth. Rowe's shot went for a grand slam while Hayes, Gendron and Huber each produced two-run shots.
Sammi Poehlman (Ormond Beach, FL/Daytona State/Seabreeze HS) ignited the home run train in the top of the first with a two-run bomb the opposite way in left field, her first of the season and second overall at FGCU.
Starting pitcher
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, FL/South Sumter HS) tossed three innings, scattering three hits as she moves to 8-3 overall this season.
Emily Estroff (Coconut Creek, FL/Villanova/Coral Springs Charter) tossed the final two innings yielding two hits and striking out three batters.
FGCU 11, Holy Cross 3
FGCU kept the hot bats going into the Holy Cross contest, plating home seven runs on six hits. Rowe singled and stole second setting up
McKenna Batterton (Norco, CA/Eleanor Roosevelt HS) for the RBI base hit up the middle.
Hannah Shemansky (Lakeland, FL/Santa Fe Catholic) pinch-ran for Batterton, swiped second and raced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. She would later score on steal from
Ashley Hayes (Naples, FL/ Barron Collier HS) at second – pinch-ran for
Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, FL/Atlantic Coast HS) who walked earlier.
Haley Morrell (Tampa, FL/Academy of Holy Names) made it a 4-0 game with a home run over the left-field wall, her first of the season.
Hope Hernandez (Tampa, FL/Troy/Chamberlain HS) nailed a solo shot to center for the 5-0 advantage – first of her Eagle career. The bottom frame scoring came to end with
Abbey Thomas (Fort Myers, FL/Southwest Florida Christian Academy) launching her first collegiate home run to left-center as it scored in Poehlman.
HC answered with a three-run third, but the Eagles scored two in the bottom of the fourth for the 9-3 lead. Rowe's single led to her stealing second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. On the same play, the freshman scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Up next, Hayes walked and was brought home on a double from Morrell.
In the bottom of the fifth frame, consecutive singles from Poehlman and Thomas got the offense going. Up next, Huber laid down a sac bunt reaching first safely as the throw behind the plated sailed past the first baseman. This allowed Poehlman and Thomas to score from first and second to end the game.
Sarah Lawton (Waterbury, CT/FSW/Holy Cross) pitched all five innings striking out six batters while conceding three hits.
Up Next
FGCU returns back home to face FAU (7-12) Tuesday in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.
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.
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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 660-344-3 (.657), 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 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.
