TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The FGCU softball team closed the Unconquered Invitational in style Saturday, snapping a five-game skid with a sweep of Troy and Lamar.
FGCU stifled Troy for a 6-1 victory, and followed up its morning win with a 7-0 shutout of Lamar. The Eagles returned to .500 on the year at 9-9 overall, while Troy dropped to 9-4 and Lamar to 3-13.
"Great way to finish a grueling week of games on the road," said FGCU softball head coach David Deiros. "We were really good in all facets. We get some much-needed rest (Sunday), and then it's back to work for a Wednesday doubleheader."
The FGCU pitching staff laid the groundwork for Saturday's success. Senior Baylee Haggard (Naples, Fla./Palmetto Ridge HS/Florida SouthWestern State & South Florida State College) tossed a complete-game to down the Trojans. In 111 pitches and seven innings of work, Haggard (2-2) surrendered a single Trojan run on eight hits allowed.
The Eagles' bats were clicking as well. Both freshman Nikki Gibson (Yorktown, Va./Grafton HS) and sophomore Avery Viancos recorded a double, and senior Riley Oakes (Oviedo, Fla./Bishop Moore Catholic HS/Radford) legged out a triple. Oakes' triple marked the first for any Eagle this season.
Senior Neely Peterson's (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Cypress Creek HS/Colorado State & Santa Fe College) sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first gifted FGCU an early 1-0 lead. Troy knotted the ballgame up in the second inning with a sac fly of their own.
However, FGCU used a four-run second to take a 5-1 lead. The Eagles added an insurance run in the third to make it 6-1 as Haggard kept the Trojans off balance the rest of the way.
Oakes' second-inning RBI triple to score junior Caridad Estes (West Palm Beach, Fla./Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches/Ball State) proved not only to be a go-ahead but the winning run. Oakes led all Eagles with a 2-for-3 effort and scored two runs to go along with her RBI.
In the game to follow with Lamar, it was senior Ally Hulme's (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS/State College of Florida) turn to show out from inside the circle. Hulme earned her fourth win of the season, pitching a scoreless 6 2/3 innings. Hulme allowed only four hits and also fanned four.
After a scoreless two frames, FGCU broke the tide with three runs. The Eagles followed with a pair of runs in both the fourth and the fifth innings en route to its 7-0 victory.
The Green & Blue tallied a total of 11 hits against the Cardinals. Eight different Eagles recorded a hit as Gibson, graduate Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF), and redshirt sophomore Meagan Ricks (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven HS) each produced two.
Freshman Madison Carr (Ferndale, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) launched her first collegiate home run, and Gibson extended her reached-base streak to 17 consecutive games.
Fill's two-RBI triple in the third inning broke the scoreless tie. Filla's RBI double later in the fourth capped off the inning to make it 5-0 Eagles. She finished her outing 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, three RBIs and one run scored. Fill's 16 RBIs this season leads the ASUN Conference.
FGCU added its final two runs in the fifth courtesy of a senior Abbey Thomas (Fort Myers, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) sacrifice fly and Carr's solo homer.
The Eagles return home March 1 to host Oakland for a Wednesday doubleheader at the FGCU Softball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday will be Music Bingo Night and Athletic Training Staff Recognition and First Pitch Night.
Admission is free for FGCU students, faculty and staff is free with valid Eagle I.D.
Tickets can be purchased online at the
FGCU Ticket Office or at the Alico Arena box office. No pets or emotional support animals are allowed at the FGCU Softball Complex. Only certified service animals are permitted.
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.
Unconquered Invitational Results
Thursday:
FGCU 5, #6 FSU 13 (6 inn.)
Friday:
FGCU 4, Troy 5
Troy 8, Lamar 0
Lamar 0, #6 FSU 4
FGCU 2, #6 FSU 7
Saturday:
Troy 1, FGCU 6
Lamar 0, FGCU 7
Lamar vs #6 FSU
Troy vs #6 FSU
Sunday:
Troy vs Lamar
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 715-406-3 (.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, FGCUdefeated 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 FGCUCampus 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 conference 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.
---FGCUATHLETICS.COM---
