FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team (28-17) swept Stetson (8-26) with scores of 5-2 and 1-0 (11 innings) to move onto the final site in next week's ASUN Tournament in Kennesaw, Ga.
"It was just a really gutsy performance by our pitching staff tonight as they gave us 18 innings," said head coach
David Deiros. "Sarah [Lawton] was absolutely spectacular; never complained the entire time and just kept putting zeros on the board. Just kudos to our entire team for winning this series and being able to move on. It really is difficult to play the same team over and over again. Stetson always gives us a battle and tonight was just a perfect example of how tough they are. Temples threw spectacularly, but it was just a matter of time before we were able to do what we needed to do."
Game 1 | FGCU 5, Stetson 2
Stetson got on the board first in the top of third using an RBI single before
Reedy Davenport (St. Johns, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) tied the game with her second homer of the season, a leadoff blast to left-center.
Starting pitcher
Marissa Mesiemore (Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter HS) stranded a runner on second in the top of the fifth as the Eagles responded with three runs in their half.
Taylor Bauman (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast HS) drew a leadoff walk and a double to left-center from Mesiemore put runners in scoring position with no out.
Up next,
Hope Hernandez (Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain HS/Troy) lined a soft single to center field to break the 1-1 tie. After Hernandez was caught stealing, catcher
Abbey Thomas (Fort Myers, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian) lined a base hit to center to make it 3-1. Three batters later,
Haley Morrell (Tampa, Fla./Academy of Holy Names) capped off the scoring with a sac fly to left.
FGCU pushed one more run across in the bottom of the sixth. Bauman singled with one out, moved to second on a passed ball before heading to third on a wild pitch as Hernandez walked. Moments later, the double steal attempt was successful as Bauman made it 5-1 touching home.
Stetson did score in its final frame off an RBI double but a pop fly to left sealed the deal for FGCU.
Mesiemore (16-6) went the distance for the sixth time this season, fanning a season-high six batters in the process, scattering eight hits on two runs with three walks.
FGCU produced 11 hits with three Eagles recording at least two – Davenport (2-4, HR), Bauman (2-2, 2 BB, 2 R), and
Emily Estroff (2-4).
Game 2 | FGCU 1, Stetson 0
Sarah Lawton (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross HS/FSW) gave up a walk in the first inning but kept the Hatters hitless until the top of the sixth – a base hit to center field. From there, Stetson's second hit of the game would not come until the 10th as the Eagles faced their second 11-inning game of the season (5-4 win vs UConn, Feb. 21).
Mesiemore started the frame by reaching on passed ball strikeout as
Amaya Gainer (Tallahassee, Fla./Chiles HS) was called to run at first. This allowed Hernandez to rip a double down the right-field line to put runners on second and third with no out. Up next, on a 1-0 pitch, Thomas smoked a base hit over the left fielder's head, plating home Gainer for the walk-off victory in a game that lasted just over three hours.
In the circle, Lawton tossed her first complete shutout game of the year and sixth overall complete game in her season-high 11 innings. The right-handed pitcher yielded just one walk, two hits while striking out six as she moves to 8-6.
FGCU produced 10 hits against Stetson's Chloe Temples who also worked the entire game. Hernandez capped off the night going 2-for-5 (2B).
Up Next
FGCU will face the lowest remaining seed in the North Division on Thursday, May 13 at 5:30 p.m. in Kennesaw State's Bailey Park.
Friday ASUN Results
Jacksonville def. North Florida, 2-0
North Florida def. Jacksonville, 5-2
Kennesaw State def. North Alabama, 2-1 & 9-1
Liberty def. Lipscomb, 1-0
Lipscomb def. Liberty, 8-7.
Upcoming ASUN Softball Schedule
Saturday, May 8 - ASUN Championship Quarterfinals
#1N Liberty vs. #4N Lipscomb - 1 PM ET
#2S North Florida vs. #3S Jacksonville - 1 PM ET
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 689-362-3 (.655), going 162-93 (.632) 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.
