FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team dropped a pair of opening day contests at the FGCU Kickoff Classic Friday.
The Eagles suffered a 7-5 defeat to Binghamton, and then fell to Southern Illinois in the night cap 6-3. In earlier action, Binghamton lost 8-0 to UNCG, and Southern Illinois took down Long Island 3-0. Both SIU and UNCG remain as the only undefeated teams at the FGCU Kickoff Classic, perfect 2-0.
"I think we learned a lot today," said FGCU head softball head coach David Deiros. "I think our coaching staff learned a lot about our players. I think our player's lack of experience with each other here showed a little bit today. I think they are just going to continue to get better as they face more and more of these situations. Even though we are 0-2, I am really encouraged by the direction that we are going to be able to go."
Friday's loss to Binghamton marked the first-ever Bearcats victory over the Eagles. FGCU still holds a 3-2 advantage over Southern Illinois in the all-time series.
Senior pitcher Ally Hulme (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS/State College of Florida) received the opening day and game-one nod from coach Deiros. Hulme tossed four innings against Binghamton, allowing four runs on five hits. Despite being credited with the loss, Hulme fanned five Bearcats.
FGCU began the day by scoring first and in the first inning. Graduate infielder Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF) drew a rundown between first and second to allow sophomore outfielder Avery Viancos (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona HS) to scamper home to score the first run of the season.
In the second frame, sophomore shortstop Kayleigh Roper (Venice, Fla./Venice HS/Michigan State) and freshman infielder Nikki Gibson (Yorktown, Va./Grafton HS) produced back-to-back doubles to give FGCU a 2-0 lead. Binghamton would answer with a run in the third and then four in the fifth to take a 5-2 advantage.
Filla's fifth-inning solo shot sparked a home run barrage as Binghamton and FGCU would begin to trade round trippers. The Bearcats answered Filla with one of their own, but Roper's sixth-inning, 2-run bomb deep into the night sky kept Eagles within striking distance late, trailing 6-5.
However, the Bearcats added an insurance run in the final frame to clinch the 7-5 victory. Both Fill and Roper finished 2-for-4 to lead the Eagles' offense in game one.
In game two, FGCU fell behind early against Southern Illinois as the Salauis sprinted out of the starting gates with a homer in the top half of the first. The Green & Blue responded with a run in the second and a crooked number in the third to take a 3-2 lead. Roper's 2-run, RBI single put the Eagles in front.
FGCU's slim lead would not last long. SIU used a five-spot in the fifth en route to the 6-3 win, keeping FGCU in check the rest of the way.
Junior pitcher Angelina Bonilla (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS) started game two and notched a single-game career high in strikeouts (5) in the loss.
FGCU will look to bounce back tomorrow in day two of the FGCU Kickoff Classic hosting LIU and UNCG. First pitch against LIU is set for 12:15 p.m., while the official start time against UNCG is slated for 5 p.m. at the FGCU Softball Complex.
Remaining FGCU Kickoff Classic Schedule:
Friday, Feb. 10
LIU vs UNCG (UNCG W, 6-2)
UNCG vs Binghamton (UNCG W, 8-0 in 5 inn.)
SIU vs LIU (SIU W, 3-0)
Binghamton @ FGCU (Binghamton W, 7-5)
SIU @ FGCU (SIU W, 6-3)
Saturday, Feb. 11
10 a.m. LIU vs Binghamton
12:15 p.m. LIU vs FGCU
2:30 p.m. Binghamton vs SIU
5 p.m. UNCG vs FGCU
7:30 p.m. SIU vs UNCG
Sunday, Feb. 12
10 a.m. UNCG vs Binghamton
12:30 p.m. LIU vs FGCU
For up-to-the-minute information on the FGCU softball program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_Softball, Instagram at fgcusoftball, Facebook, and stay tuned at FGCUAthletics.com.
COACH DEIROS
The founding father of FGCU softball, David Deiros enters his 21st season as head coach in 2023. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the ground up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 706-399-3 (.637) record, gone 176-109 (.618) in the ASUN, had 16 seasons with a winning record and nine campaigns of 35+ wins. Deiros has also led the Eagles to three ASUN regular season championships (2008, 2012, and 2016) and one ASUN Tournament title (2012). In 2012, FGCU defeated No. 5 Florida in its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Last season (2022), FGCU took down both No. 8 Texas and No. 10 Florida once again. 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 (https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/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 https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 94 confererence regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 47 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. 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 four of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & 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 26 consecutive semesters. The past six semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative 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.
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