LEESBURG, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (9-10) opened up the morning taking down North Dakota (4-7) in a 2-1 thriller before run-ruling Toledo (6-4) in five innings, 9-1.
"It was great to see us battle in both games today, our pitching did a tremendous job in both of them," said head coach
David Deiros. "Now it's time to make sure we get ready to open up conference play at home next weekend against Stetson."
Game 1 | FGCU 2, North Dakota 1
After North Dakota scored in the top of the second to lead 1-0, the Eagles stranded three runners over the next three frames until scoring back-to-back runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Emily Estroff (Coconut Creek, Fla./Coral Springs Charter/Villanova) stood on first with a fielder's choice to the shortstop and moved to second on a base hit through the 4-3 hole from
Kacie Huber (Dade City, Fla./Pasco HS). Moments later, an infield bunt single from
Johneisha Rowe (Avon Park, Fla./Sebring HS) loaded the bags. Two batters later with two outs, pinch-hitter
Haley Morrell (Tampa, Fla./Academy of Holy Names) was hit in the leg for the RBI.
In the next frame,
Hope Hernandez (Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain HS/Troy) roped a leadoff single to center and raced to second on a grounder from
Farley Callaghan (Ponte Vedra, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS). Facing one out,
McKenna Batterton (Norco, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) dropped an opposite base hit into left field for the eventual game-winning run.
Throughout all this,
Sarah Lawton (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross HS/FSW) racked up nine strikeouts through four innings, eventually tallying her FGCU career-high of 12 in the sixth. That inning, the senior pitcher gave up a leadoff double before registering three-straight strikeouts to end the threat. North Dakota did put two runners on in the seventh but a diving catch in right field by Callaghan sealed the victory for FGCU.
Lawton moves to 2-1 overall this season, limiting the opposition to four hits and two walks to go along with her aforementioned 12 strikeouts. Rowe finished 2-for-4 at the plate while Hernandez went 2-for-3 with a run.
Game 2 | FGCU 9, Toledo 1
The Eagles had two hits through three innings until finally breaking out for six runs on five hits and one error in the top of the fourth. Three consecutive singles from Batterton, Huber, and Morrell got the offense going with no outs. Rowe then brought in two runners with a hit through the right side before
Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) plated home another on a fielder's choice to the shortstop. With Rowe now on third, Davenport stole second as Hernandez walked to load the bags again.
Following a pitching change,
Nicole Hayslip (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach HS) tacked on two more, hitting a single to right field – moved to second on a throwing error. Now with runners on second and third, Callaghan skied a pop fly to left-center for the sacrifice.
In the fifth,
Ahnie Jumper (Clewiston, Fla./Plantation American Heritage HS) moved Batterton and Huber into scoring position with a sac bunt. Rowe stepped in and chopped one to the shortstop who bobbled it, allowing both runners to score. One batter later,
Maddy Johnson (Lake Wales, Fla./Lake Region HS/FSW) scored Rowe from second with a base hit through the right side.
Toledo did score in its last frame but
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter HS) wrapped up the game tossing her third complete game of the season. She scattered three hits, giving up one earned run while striking out two Rockets. Of the 10 hits on offense, three Eagles recorded at least two. Hayslip and Rowe each finished with two RBI.
Up Next
FGCU will open up ASUN play at home hosting Stetson (2-6) Saturday-Sunday, Mar. 13-14. Saturday's doubleheader is slated for a 2 p.m. start with the series finale taking place Sunday at 1 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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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 670-355-3 (.652), going 147-90 (.620) 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 84 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 38 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.
