JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (16-11, 7-1 ASUN) split on day one against Jacksonville (17-8, 5-3 ASUN) dropping the first contest, 1-0, before bouncing back with a 6-3 win in game two.

"We had a chance to sweep today and that's all I can ask of my team," said head coach David Deiros. "We still have a chance to win the series tomorrow and we will be ready."

Game 1 | JU 1, FGCU 0
Jacksonville posted the only run of the game in the bottom of the second off the bat of Madison Kennedy, a solo shot to center field off a 2-1 pitch. Over the next five innings, FGCU had its chances, stranding five runners on the bags, twice putting runners in scoring position. One of those times was in the seventh inning.

Emily Estroff (Coconut Creek, Fla./Coral Spring Charter/Villanova) singled with one out and moved to second on a sac bunt from Maddy Johnson (Lake Wales, Fla./Lake Region HS/FSW). She then moved to third on a passed ball but the Dolphins would end the game with a strikeout. Both teams totaled five hits as Johneisha Rowe (Avon Park, Fla./Sebring HS) finished the game going 2-for-3 with a stolen base.

Starting pitcher Sarah Lawton (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross HS/FSW) was hit with the loss, moving to 4-2. She tossed six innings, allowed five hits, one earned run while fanning seven batters.

Game 2 | FGCU 6, JU 3
Right out of the gates, FGCU tallied four runs on three hits and two errors to take a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. Rowe slapped an infield leadoff single and McKenna Batterton (Norco, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) reached on an error at short. This allowed Reedy Davenport (St, Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) to lay down a sac bunt and move both runners into scoring position. Up next, Haley Morrell (Tampa, Fla./Academy of Holy Names) ripped a single through the right-side scoring Rowe. Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS) would reach on a throwing error at third, scoring Batterton.

One batter later, Estroff walked to load the bags as pinch-hitter Meagan Ricks (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven HS) roped a two-run single to left-center. In the bottom of the fourth, Jacksonville tallied three runs on four hits to make it a one-run game.

The extra insurance for the Green and Blue arrived at the top of the sixth. Back-to-back singles from Rowe and Batterton got the offense started – Rowe raced to third on Batterton's knock, then she stood on second following the throw. Davenport then grounded to the shortstop but it would score Rowe. Kacie Huber (Dade City, Fla./Pasco HS) capped off the scoring with an RBI single to left.

JU had no chance of a comeback attempt in the seventh as relief pitcher Lawton put them down in order en route to the 6-3 win. Lawton's quality line of just yielding three hits with no runs earned her the win after 3.2 IP. Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter HS) went 3.1 IP, scattering six hits on three earned runs with one walk.

At the plate, FGCU manufactured 10 hits with Batterton going 2-for-4 and Rowe finishing 2-for-5 – each scored two runs. Four Eagles produced an RBI as Ricks finished with two of them going 1-for-2 with a walk.

Up Next
FGCU will close out the series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

ASUN Standings 
 
South Division

Place	Team	ASUN	Overall
1.	FGCU	7-1	16-11
2.	Jacksonville	5-3	17-8
3.	North Florida	3-5	11-16
4.	Stetson	1-7	5-13

North Division

Place	Team	ASUN	Overall
1.	Liberty	3-0	21-9
2.	Kennesaw State	4-1	11-16
3.	North Alabama	5-3	16-8
4.	Lipscomb	2-4	11-12
5.	Bellarmine	0-6	5-17

Recent Results (Saturday, Mar. 27)
Bellarmine def. Marshall (W. Va), 3-1
Marshall (W. Va) def. Bellarmine, 5-3
Stetson def. North Florida, 9-5
North Florida def. Stetson, 6-1
Kennesaw State def. North Alabama, 3-2 & 7-2

Upcoming Games (Sunday, Mar. 28)
Bellarmine @ Marshall (W. Va) (Noon)
North Florida at Stetson (1pm)
Kennesaw State @ North Alabama (1pm)
Liberty @ Lipscomb (3 & 5pm)

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 19th season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 677-356-3 (.655), going 154-91 (.628) in the ASUN, having 14 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 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 39 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 (No. 24, 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 (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each 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.