FORT MYERS, FL – The FGCU baseball team (8-7) earned its first sweep of the 2020 season, downing Saint Joseph's (5-8) by a score of 11-9 on Sunday afternoon at Swanson Stadium. Though the Eagles never trailed, they were never able to fully put away the Hawks as the visiting team was down by one run as late as the eighth inning.

"It's always great when we sweep," head coach Dave Tollett said. "Our bats have been coming and coming and 16 hits on a Sunday is really good for this club. If we can keep doing what we did this weekend, which was swing the bats well all weekend, we're going to start to look like a really good ball club."

In one of their strongest offensive showings of the year, the Eagles cranked out a season-high 16 hits. Seniors Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) and Alex Brait (Viera, FL/Viera HS), as well as junior Brian Ellis (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty HS) accounted for nine of the team's total, tallying three hits apiece. Junior Brandon Dorsey (Fort Myers, FL/Wallace Dothan CC) also notched a multi-hit game, finishing his day with two.

FGCU's offense got going early, as the bottom of the second saw the Eagles bat all the way around their lineup and take an early 6-0 lead. Freshman Johnny Long (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) pushed in the first two runs of the spree when his single plated both sophomore Joe Kinker (North Port, FL/Venice HS) and Brait. Though the Hawks made a pitching change midway through the inning, the scoring continued when Dorsey, Long, Ellis and senior Richie Garcia (Davie, FL/West Broward HS) all eventually crossed home plate.

Saint Joseph's got on the board in the fourth, where they pushed a pair of runs across and forced the Eagles to make their first pitching change of the day. Freshman starter Ronaldo Gallo (Miami, FL/Miami Southridge) handed the ball over to junior Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, FL/Canterbury HS) with the bases loaded and no outs on the board. One of the inherited runners scored, officially cutting the home team's lead in half, but Long nailed a runner trying to steal third and ended the inning.

In the following frame, the Hawks plated two additional runs and pulled themselves within one score of FGCU. Shuck started the inning, but was relieved by senior Sebastian Gruszecki (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional HS) after allowing an RBI double. Gruszecki came in and, though SJU was able to push its second run across, maintained the lead at Eagles 6, Hawks 5.

A three-spot in the home half of the frame re-extended the advantage for the Green and Blue. Kinker and Dorsey plated the first two runs and senior Marc Coffers (Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS) completed the scoring with a two-out single that Kinker crossed home plate on.

Although Saint Joseph's sixth arm of the day held the team scoreless in the sixth, Ellis was able to score FGCU's 10th run of the ballgame in the bottom of the seventh.

The Hawks gave the Eagles a late scare when they put up four runs in the eighth inning and minimized the home team's lead to just one run at 10-9. Junior Gus Carter (Melbourne, FL/FSW), who started the inning, was tagged with a pair of the runs. Both freshman Connor O'Hara (Davie, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas HS) and senior Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, FL/State College of Florida-Manatee) made it out of the inning clean, as an Eagle miscue allowed the other two runs to score.

FGCU's final run of the ballgame came from freshman Jalen Townsend (Orlando, FL/Winter Park HS), who crossed home after stealing a bag as a pinch runner. In their final chance of the day, the Hawks went down in order against McGarry, thus earning the closer his third save of the season. Shuck was awarded the win, moving him to 1-2 on the year.

In addition to the season-high hits, today's 11 runs are the most that FGCU has put up this season. With the victory, the Eagles now have a winning record on the year and have won seven of their last eight games.

The Green and Blue will continue the home stay with a midweek contest against Georgetown (4-11) on Tuesday, March 10. The game against the Hoyas is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start time at Swanson Stadium.

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 607-365-3 overall record (.624) 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.