FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU softball's final-inning comeback fell short against Liberty on Senior Day Saturday. The Flames took game three 3-1 as Liberty completed the weekend sweep of the Eagles.
FGCU now drops to 13-28 overall and 6-12 in the ASUN, suffering its six-straight loss. Liberty improved to 31-13 overall and remains undefeated in the ASUN at 15-0, the only ASUN squad that remains spotless in league play.
"Bummed that we could not send the seniors out with a win today," head coach David Deiros said. "They gave it their all and battled all the way to the end. We will regroup with an 0-0 mindset as we have some huge road series coming up that will determine conference qualifiers. We are not done yet."
Liberty struck first with a pair of runs to open the contest. However, the Green and Blue would stifle the Flames up until the seventh before Liberty plated one more to lead 3-0 heading into the final three outs.
The Eagles battled into the seventh, bringing the potential tying run up the plate. Emily Estroff started the final frame off with a leadoff-double. Jordyn Gendron then moved Estroff 60 feet away with an infield-single.
An ensuing Liberty wild pitch plated Estroff as the Eagles then trailed only by two, 3-1. With an Eagle on second and the winning run on deck, FGCU would follow with a strikeout and a popup to end the day.
In the circle, Estroff (1-4) and Ally Hulme combined to only allow three runs on six hits to a squad that was leading the conference in batting average (.325), on base percentage (.403), slugging percentage (.552), runs scored (85), home runs (18) and in RBIs (79) entering Easter Weekend.
McKenzi Wagoner (6-3) earned the win in the circle for the Flames, tossing 6.1 innings and allowing a single run on just four hits.
The Eagles will be back in action next weekend and on the road for a three-game set at Kennesaw State on April 23-24.
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 701-392-3 (.640), going 166-104 (.615) 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 NACDACommunity Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
