FORT MYERS, Fla. --- Mason Studstill gritted through eight tough innings and Alejandro Figueredo produced a four-hit performance as the FGCU baseball team (22-12, 8-2 ASUN) edged Stetson (20-14, 6-4) 4-3 in a Friday night classic under the lights at Swanson Stadium.
 
"Anytime you win on a Friday night in this league is special," FGCU head coach Dave Tollett said. "It was just a great night by Mason, one of his best outings of the season. He was lights out. He came and competed against a real good offensive club. To only give up four hits in eight innings (was crucial). He kept us in the ballgame. At times, we didn't play well behind him, but he fought through a lot of adversity and showed who he is."
 
Studstill (Titusville, Fla./Rockledge HS/Eastern Florida State) delivered a career-high 129 pitches while allowing just four hits, three runs (two earned) and three walks with eight strikeouts. After his team scored four runs to give him a lead entering the seventh, the righty pitched around a leadoff walk in the eighth while striking out four over his final two innings, which helped him improve to 6-2 this year and finish just one shy of his season high in whiffs.
 
Meanwhile, Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oak HS/Seminole State) delivered his best performance of the season from the eight-hole as the JUCO transfer from Seminole State College finished 4-for-4 in what was his fourth game with at least three hits this year. In the bottom of the sixth, he delivered a three-run double up the gap in left center to tie the game at three apiece. Three batters later, he scored the eventual game-winning run on a bases loaded walk by Richie Garcia (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS).

"It was a great night," Tollett said. "We put four runs on the board in one inning, and that's all we needed. (Alejandro) had a beautiful night. It was really good to see his bat get hot."
 
Following Studstill's masterpiece, Joey Mugavero (Estero, Fla./Estero HS/FSW) allowed a leadoff single but retired the game's final three batters, including a game-ending strikeout, to pick up his first save of the season.
 
Outside of Figueredo, the duo of Brian Ellis and Stephen Wilmer combined for four hits over nine at bats while the Barron Collier High School duo of Marc Coffers and Johnny Long tacked on one hit apiece. Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) singled and stole second in the home half of the first but was stranded as the Eagles left five runners on base over the first four innings, including three in scoring position.
 
Long's single came in the eighth as FGCU stranded the bases loaded, coming up just short in trying to add some insurance runs. The Green and Blue also popped up a pair of sacrifice bunt attempts with runners on first and second in the sixth and eighth innings.
 
Notes
FGCU, which improved to 22-21 all-time against Stetson with the victory, will host the second game of the weekend series against the Hatters at 2 p.m. on Saturday. With a win in either of the next two games, the Eagles would have their first series victory over Stetson since 2016.
 
The Eagles now hold a two-game lead over Stetson for first place in the ASUN's South Division standings.
 
Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS), who leads the Eagles in home runs this year with 11, was a late scratch from the lineup.
 
Wilmer (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS/Pasco-Hernando State) extended his hitting streak to nine straight.

ASUN Standings

South Division

School	ASUN	Overall
FGCU	8-2	22-12
Stetson	6-4	20-14
North Florida	6-4	12-16
Jacksonville	0-10	7-24

North Division

School	ASUN	Overall
Liberty	11-1	26-9
Kennesaw State	11-2	23-10
Bellarmine	5-11	10-24
Lipscomb	4-9	12-21
North Alabama	4-12	5-30

Friday's Results
Kennesaw State 7, Lipscomb 2
North Florida 8, Jacksonville 5
North Alabama 8, Bellarmine 5
Liberty 7, Coastal Carolina 2
FGCU 4, Stetson 3

Saturday's Schedule
Coastal Carolina at Liberty, 11 a.m.
Jacksonville at North Florida, 2 p.m.
Lipscomb at Kennesaw State, 2 p.m.
Stetson at FGCU, 2 p.m.
Bellarmine at North Alabama, 3 p.m.

Sunday's Schedule
Jacksonville at North Florida, 1 p.m.
Lipscomb at Kennesaw State, 1 p.m.
Stetson at FGCU, 1 p.m.
Coastal Carolina at Liberty, 2 p.m.
Bellarmine at North Alabama, 2 p.m.
 
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.

COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 630-376-3 overall record (.625) and a 206-112 (.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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM—