JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (17-11, 8-1 ASUN) clinched the series over Jacksonville (17-9, 5-4 ASUN) taking Sunday's game in 6-1 fashion at the Debbie & Fred Pruitt Complex.

"I'm proud of our team for winning the series today," said head coach David Deiros. "Sarah was dominant all weekend; 16 plus innings allowing two runs. At the plate, Hannah was huge for us as well."

Jacksonville took a 1-0 lead on two hits and one error in the bottom of the first before the Eagles knotted the contest in the next top half. Emily Estroff (Coconut Creek, Fla./Coral Springs Charter/Villanova) led off the frame reaching on an error at third as Hannah Shemansky (Lakeland, Fla/Santa Fe Catholic) doubled to put runners in scoring position. Two batters later, Maddy Johnson (Lake Wales, Fla./Lake Region HS/FSW) laid down the sac bunt for the RBI.

In the top of the third, FGCU manufactured three runs on three hits, highlighted by a two-run single from Shemansky. Back-to-back knocks with one away from Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) and Haley Morrell (Tampa, Fla./Academy of Holy Names) ignited the offense. Meagan Ricks (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven HS) reached on a fielder's choice to short, as Davenport moved to third on the force out at second. Ricks then stole second and a walk from Estroff loaded the bags as Shemansky roped a single to center for two runs – Estroff would come around on the throw.

The Green and Blue pushed two more runs across in the top of the seventh. With one away, Davenport laced a one-out triple and would touch home plate on a passed ball with two away. Ashley Hayes (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) stepped in to pinch-hit and drew a walk as Estroff hit an infield single to short. Moments later, Shemansky collected her third RBI of the day with a single through the right side.

FGCU totaled 10 hits Sunday afternoon with Shemansky ending her day 3-for-4 (double) with three RBI while Davenport (2-for-4, triple) and Morrell (2-for-3) each tallied two hits. 

In the circle, Sarah Lawton (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross HS) limited the Dolphins to four hits while allowing just one run with one walk and two strikeouts. The win bumps her record to 6-2 and gives the senior her fifth complete game of the season.

Up Next
FGCU travels back to Jacksonville next weekend to start a three-game series with North Florida with the doubleheader taking place Friday, Apr. 2 at 4 p.m. The series finale is set for Saturday at 1 p.m.

ASUN Standings 
 
South Division

Place	Team	ASUN	Overall
1.	FGCU	8-1	17-11
2.	Jacksonville	5-4	17-9
3.	North Florida	4-5	12-16
4.	Stetson	1-8	5-14

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	5-18

Recent Results (Sunday, Mar. 28)
Marshall (W. Va) def. Bellarmine, 10-0
North Florida def. Stetson, 2-1
Kennesaw State @ North Alabama (ongoing)
Liberty @ Lipscomb (canceled)

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 678-356-3 (.655), going 155-91 (.630) 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.