FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU softball team secured a doubleheader sweep of Oakland Wednesday at the FGCU Softball Complex.
The Eagles (11-9) downed the Golden Grizzlies 6-4 in game one and 8-2 in game two, winning their fourth straight game and ninth consecutive against Oakland. Oakland dropped to 2-4 on the year with the doubleheader defeat to the Green & Blue.
"I thought we played really well, and I thought we played together," said FGCU softball head coach David Deiros. "We continued to score when we needed to. It was great to get two wins against assistant coach Modic-Blythers' old team that she used to coach at. There was a lot of love and passion shown on the field today."
Freshman Emily Chiarella (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) and sophomore Avery Viancos (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona HS) led the offensive charge to begin the night, recording two hits apiece in game one. The two hits marked Chiarella's third multi hit game and Viancos' second of the season. Viancos finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Chiarella went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run.
Freshman Nikki Gibson (Yorktown, Va. Grafton HS) extended her reached-base streak to 19 consecutive games with a walk during her opening at-bat.
Junior Caridad Estes' (West Palm Beach, Fla./Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches/Ball State) bases-clearing double in the third lifted FGCU to 4-0 advantage. Despite soaring out to an early four-run lead, a four-run fourth by Oakland would in turn knot the ballgame up heading into the fifth.
In the fifth, Gibson scored on an Estes fielder's choice to shortstop, her game and season high fourth RBI. Gibson took off on contact and was ruled safe during the ensuing play at the plate, breaking the tie to give the Eagles back the lead at 5-4.
FGCU added an insurance run in the sixth courtesy of a Chiarella RBI single up the middle.
Junior Angelina Bonilla (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS) earned her first win of the season, pitching a scoreless 3.1 innings and fanned a career high seven batters.
In game two, FGCU flexed its home run power early. Graduate Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF) and sophomore Kayleigh Roper (Venice, Fla./Venice HS Michigan State) went back-to-back off the scoreboard in the first inning.
Filla's two-run shot and Roper's solo home run, both their fourth of the season, gave the Eagles a statement 3-0 lead. Entering Wednesday's action, both Filla and Roper were tied for second in the ASUN Conference in total home runs.
FGCU would remain at three until the fifth inning. The Green & Blue manufactured two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth en route to secure the 8-2 victory. Oakland's two runs snuck across in fourth and once in the sixth. FGCU is now 9-0 on the year when holding the leading heading into the final inning of play.
Sophomore McKenzie Wittenberg (Fort Myers, Fla./Riverdale HS Florida SouthWestern State & Louisiana) recorded her first Eagle hit of her career with a game-two triple. However, Gibson's 19-game reached base streak was snapped as she failed to reach base during her two at-bats.
Senior Baylee Haggard (Naples, Fla./Palmetto Ridge HS/Florida SouthWestern State & South Florida State College) earned her third win from inside the circle for FGCU. In 5.1 innings of work, she surrendered just two runs on six hits and struck out two.
FGCU returns to action next Wednesday, March 8, for another midweek doubleheader. This time, the Eagles will square off against Stonehill. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the FGCU Softball Complex.
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 717-406-3 (.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---
