JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team (14-10, 2-2 ASUN) kicked off its series against UNF (9-12, 3-1 ASUN) with a 12-11 win, defeating the Ospreys on Thursday at Harmon Stadium. Senior Hunter McGarry (Bradenton, Fla./Bradenton Christian School/State College of Florida-Manatee), who entered the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, picked up his fourth save of the season to help the Eagles hold on. With 16 career stops, he is just three shy of tying former Eagle Sterling Koerner (2014-17) for the program record.

Offensively, the team was led by senior Cameron Krzeminski (Coral Springs, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS), who went 3-for-5 at the plate with a pair of doubles and as many RBI. The infielder came around to score twice, which included his go-ahead run in the top of the fifth.

"It's a Friday night win, so I'll take it," head coach Dave Tollett said. "We did a good job at taking advantage of their mistakes and Mason put us in the position to win with his start. Tyler was pretty good out of the bullpen and it was great to have McGarry close us out. I felt like Cam, Wilmer and Long were all really important tonight, as well. We capitalized on what [UNF] gave us."

The teams traded runs back-and-forth throughout the game, as at least one of the sides scored in all nine innings. The Ospreys were the first to get on the board, using a solo shot to jump out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

After being held scoreless in the opening frame, sophomore Stephen Wilmer's (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/ECU/Pasco-Hernando State) RBI double and freshman Johnny Long's (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) RBI single pushed a pair of runs across for the visiting team, cutting UNF's lead down to 2-1. Senior Mason Studstill (Titusville, Fla./Rockledge HS/Miami/Eastern Florida State) forced the Ospreys to put up a zero in their half of the inning, picking up a pair of strikeouts along the way.

The Eagles went on to tag up runs in each of the remaining innings, finishing the day with three multi-run frames. In addition to the two-spot in the second, FGCU tagged up a trio of runs in the fourth and two runs in the seventh.

Neither side was able to sustain the lead in the middle of the ballgame, as the score was tied up three different times. Once the Eagles got on the board in the second, the Ospreys responded in the following frame with a pair of RBI singles that knotted the teams up at three runs apiece. UNF then regained its advantage with a sac fly that put the team up 4-3.

Long knotted things up once again in the following frame by driving freshman Ian Farrow (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island HS) in with a double. The combination of Brian Ellis' (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) sac fly and sophomore Corey Clement (Pembroke Pines, Fla./West Broward HS) scoring on a bobbled ball handed FGCU a 6-4 lead.

UNF tied things up in the bottom of the fourth, pushing across a pair of unearned runs that leveled the score out at 6-6. It was the closest that the Ospreys got to overtaking the visiting squad for the lead, as FGCU went on to distance itself by as much as four runs.

With his team ahead in the bottom of the seventh, Studstill was replaced on the mound by junior Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, Fla./Canterbury HS). He left the game lined up for the win, having tossed 6.0 frames, and finished his outing tagged with five earned runs. UNF took advantage of the pitching change and sent in another runner to trim FGCU's lead down to 10-8.

FGCU re-extended its edge to 12-8 in the final two frames. Both Krzeminski and sophomore Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) scored during the stretch.

Shuck, who retired the side in order in the eighth, got into a jam in the bottom of the ninth when the Ospreys managed to load up the bases and was relieved by McGarry with the tying run at the plate. Though back-to-back hits allowed two of the inherited runners to score, the stopper was able to hold on for the victory when the team threw out the tying runner at third.

Studstill was awarded the win, moving him to 3-2 on the year. Shuck, who tossed 2.2 innings, was tagged with four earned runs and fanned three batters.

Of the 12 runs that FGCU scored during the battle, only six of them were earned. The Ospreys struggled with miscues throughout the game, finishing their outing with a total of seven errors.

The teams will continue the series at Harmon Stadium tomorrow with a 3:05 p.m. game. The weekend's finale is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. on Saturday. 

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.

ASUN Roundup
South Division Standings

School	ASUN	Overall
UNF	3-1	9-12
Stetson	2-1	16-9
FGCU	2-2	14-10
Jacksonville	0-3	5-15

North Division Standings

School	ASUN	Overall
Liberty	5-1	16-7
Kennesaw State	4-2	16-8
Bellarmine	4-5	8-14
Lipscomb	2-4	8-11
North Alabama	3-6	4-17

Upcoming Series
Thursday, April 1 - Saturday, April 3
North Alabama at Davidson
FGCU at UNF
Stetson at Jacksonville
Bellarmine at Lipscomb

COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 622-374-3 overall record (.625) and a 200-111 (.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!
 
#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 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 40 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall 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.
 
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