JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (18-12, 9-2 ASUN) split with North Florida (13-17, 5-6 ASUN) Friday afternoon, falling in game one, 11-3, before bouncing back in game two with a 3-0 victory.
"I'm proud of how we came back and won game two after a very poor performance in all facets in game one," said head coach
David Deiros. "Batterton's bases-clearing triple was huge while Marissa and Taylor pitched a gem tonight. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's finale and a chance to still win the series."
Game 1 | UNF 11, FGCU 3
The Eagles jumped on the board first scoring one run on one hit in the top of the first.
Johneisha Rowe (Avon Park, Fla./Sebring HS) singled through the left side and stole second. A grounder from
McKenna Batterton (Norco, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) moved her to third before
Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) plated her home on another chopper to the shortstop. UNF would respond with two hits for one run in its bottom half to tie the game, 1-1.
In the bottom of the third, the Ospreys tacked on three more runs using four hits before FGCU would bring it to within one scoring a pair in the top of the fifth. Rowe once again got things going, laying down a bunt single and stealing second. Batterton reached on an error to put runners on the corners as Davenport roped a two-run double down the left-field line. It's as close as the Green and Blue would get as UNF would go on to post a three and four spot in the next two frames for the 11-3 final.
Sarah Lawton (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross HS/FSW) was tagged with the loss after pitching 4.0 innings, scattering eight hits on six runs while walking two and striking out three.
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter HS) came in for 1.2 innings of relief, yielding five runs (four earned), six hits, one walk with one strikeout.
At the plate, FGCU produced six hits with Rowe going 3-for-3 with a season-high three stolen bases. Davenport ended the game with a 1-for-2 outing with three RBI and one walk.
Game 2 | FGCU 3, UNF 0
Runs were at a premium in game two as the Eagles left five runners on the pads until scoring three in the top of the seventh. Meanwhile, in the circle, Mesiemore kept the UNF bats' at bay, holding them hitless until the fourth frame.
In that top of the seventh,
Emily Estroff (Coconut Creek, Fla./Coral Springs Charter) singled to the shortstop but a fly ball to center would put two outs on the board. Up next,
Amaya Gainer (Tallahassee, Fla./Chiles HS) roped one down the left-field line to put runners on the corners and stole second as Rowe walked to load the bases. This kept the top half alive for Batterton who laced a bases-clearing triple for the 3-0 lead – her first hit of the game.
Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS) was called in to close the game and sat the Ospreys down in order, snagging a line drive right back to her before inducing two grounders to second for the 3-0 final. The save becomes the second of the season for the Jacksonville native.
Mesiemore gets the win, moving to 9-4 as she scattered three hits while walking one with one strikeout. At the plate, Batterton finished 1-for-4 with three RBI as Estroff capped off game two going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Up Next
FGCU closes out the series finale tomorrow at 1 p.m.
ASUN Standings
South Division
| Place |
Team |
ASUN |
Overall |
| 1. |
FGCU |
9-2 |
18-12 |
| 2. |
Jacksonville |
6-4 |
18-10 |
| 3. |
North Florida |
5-6 |
13-17 |
| 4. |
Stetson |
1-9 |
5-15 |
North Division
| Place |
Team |
ASUN |
Overall |
| 1. |
Kennesaw State |
7-1 |
14-16 |
| 2. |
Liberty |
3-2 |
21-12 |
| 3. |
North Alabama |
5-4 |
17-9 |
| 4. |
Lipscomb |
2-4 |
11-12 |
| 5. |
Bellarmine |
0-6 |
5-18 |
Recent Results (Friday, Apr. 2)
Kennesaw State def. Liberty, 3-2 & 5-4
Jacksonville def. Stetson, 7-2.
Upcoming Games (Saturday, Apr. 3)
Kennesaw State @ Liberty (Noon)
Jacksonville @ Stetson (1 & 3:30 pm)
Mississippi State @ North Alabama (2 & 4 pm)
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 679-357-3 (.655), going 156-92 (.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.
