NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A third inning double and a fifth inning homer which each plated a pair of runs proved the difference makers as Lipscomb took the season series with a 6-1 win on Sunday in the rubber match at Draper Diamond against the FGCU softball team. The Eagles fall to 11-21 overall including 4-5 in ASUN action, while the Bisons improved to 13-18 overall and 3-3 in league play.
"We made some mistakes today which Lipscomb was able to capitalize on," said head coach
David Deiros. "We will look to learn from those and turn our focus to the upcoming week of preparation for Jacksonville State."
Cana Davis scored the lone run for the Eagles with a third inning homer which was her team-leading sixth of the season.
Abbey Thomas and
McKenna Batterton each had hits for FGCU. Despite having just three hits in the game, the Eagles were able to get baserunners on, but stranded seven on the bases including two in the first.
Ally Hulme fell to 7-9 on the season but struck out six through five innings pitched while walking just two. Only two of the six runs scored were earned.
Kate Peters went the distance in the circle for Lipscomb recording a pair of strikeouts while walking three and giving up the homer to Davis.
The Bisons generated seven hits in the game with Kamrie Rich going 2-of-2 at the plate with four RBI. Rich hit a pair of two-run homers in the first and fifth innings. Elise Shewmaker had a double to right field in the third, her only hit of the game, which scored a pair of runs in the third.
After Lipscomb went up 2-0 in the first inning off Rich's home run, Cana's shot in the third cut the deficit in half. In the bottom of the inning, the Bisons pushed the lead to 4-1 on Shewmaker's double. The Eagles were able to get a base runner on in the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings, but could not get enough going to cut into the lead.
The Eagles will return home to host Jacksonville State in a three game series with a Saturday doubleheader (2/4:30 PM) followed by the finale on Sunday (1 PM). FGCU will look to give Deiros, the only head coach in program history, his 700
th career win during the weekend series.
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 699-385-3 (.653), going 164-97 (.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
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 90 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 44 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.
