FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team earned a doubleheader split with Central Arkansas on Saturday, dropping the first game, 7-2, before winning 3-2 in the nightcap. The Eagles are now 9-19 overall and 2-3 in the ASUN while the Bears go to 15-9 and 1-1 in conference play.
Redshirt-senior
Cana Davis (Harrisonburg, Va./Turner Ashby HS/Virginia Tech) provided all the offense for the Eagles on the day, hitting a two-run home run in game one followed by a go-ahead three-run shot in the second game.
"It was a good battle in both games between two good teams," said head coach
David Deiros. "They got us in the first one and then we took care of business in the second one. Congratulations to Cana [Davis] to come up with a big hit and for Riley [Oakes] and Ally [Hulme] to go ahead and give us seven strong innings to keep us in the game. Rubber game tomorrow, we'll be ready."
In game one, the Bears took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, but Davis responded with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning to erase the deficit.
However, Central Arkansas retook the lead in the fourth with two runs and then added three insureance runs in the seventh to secure the victory.
The Bears' momentum continued into game two as they took a 1-0 lead in the first, but junior
Riley Oakes (Oviedo, Fla/Bishop Moore Catholic HS/Radford) settled down after that by throwing four scoreless innings.
In the fifth inning, Oakes started the Eagle rally as she singled to center with one out. Senior
McKenna Batterton (Norco, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) followed with a four-pitch walk before Davis clobbered a go-ahead three-run home run off the scoreboard in left.
After Jaylee Engelkes got one run back in the sixth with a leadoff homer, junior
Ally Hulme (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS/State College of Florida) came into relieve Oakes and threw 1.2 perfect innings to secure the save.
The Green and Blue will look to take the series tomorrow afternoon. First pitch from the FGCU Softball Complex is set for 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.
COACH DEIROS
The founding father of FGCU softball,
David Deiros is in his 20th season as head coach during the 2022 campaign. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the dirt up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 697-383-3 (.653), going 164-96 (.632) in the ASUN, having 15 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.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
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#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 89 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 10 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 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. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) 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 25 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2021) each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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.
