FORT MYERS, Fla. --- Redshirt senior outfielder Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) reached base four times, and the No. 20 FGCU baseball team (14-4, 0-1) mounted a seven-run rally with two outs in the seventh inning, but it wasn't enough in a 9-7 loss to Liberty (8-9, 1-0) inside Swanson Stadium on Friday night.
 
"We beat ourselves," said FGCU head coach Dave Tollett. "(Liberty is) a really good club, and if you give up that many freebies, you're probably not going to win on Friday night with (Garrett) Horn on the bump. He's good. He's very good, and he did a great job tonight against us. We did a good job of coming back, but it was too late. (We gave up) too many freebies to win a ballgame on a Friday night against a high-caliber team."
 
Ellis finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a walk and a hit by pitch. In doing so, he extended his program-record streak of consecutive games reaching base to 87, which is 14 shy of matching the unofficial NCAA record established by Mark Payton of Texas over the course of the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
 
The Eagles allowed the game's first two base runners to reach on errors and finished with three total in the opening frame as Liberty jumped out to a 4-0 lead and later added one more run in the third inning off FGCU junior left-hander Alejandro Valiente (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/FSW/Bethune-Cookman), who battled through four tough innings while allowing five runs - all unearned. His final line included four hits and two walks along with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Meanwhile, while drawing three walks and a hit by pitch over the first four innings, the Green and Blue didn't produce their first hit offensively until the fifth inning via a one-out single from Ellis. Despite that, FGCU put several players on base, but stranded nine runners over the first six innings, including the bases loaded in the first and two more in the third, fifth and sixth frames.
 
Liberty, meanwhile, extended their lead with three runs off FGCU's left-handed freshman reliever, Chase Kriebel (Shippenville, Pa./Clarion Area HS), who allowed three runs, three hits and a pair of walks over 2.1 innings. Junior righty William Haberstock (Roswell, Ga./Centennial HS/North Alabama) finished off the seventh inning with a pair of strikeouts to prevent further damage as the visiting Flames took an 8-0 lead into the home half.
 
That's when FGCU exploded for seven runs on six hits to get right back into the game.
 
After the first two batters were retired, senior infielder Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) got the rally started with a 1-0 single. Following another single from senior first baseman Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) and a walk by senior utility Alejandro Rodriguez (Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State) to load the bases, sophomore infielder Edrick Felix (Orlando, Fla./Victory Charter HS/College of Central Florida) laced a two-run double down the left field line on a 1-1 count to put the Eagles on the board.
 
The next batter, senior outfielder Stephen Wilmer (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS), kept the rally going with a two-run single up the middle, which spurred a pitching change for Liberty. Following another single and a walk that re-loaded the bases, Ellis hit a line drive double to center that scored all three runs, including the sliding Mac Moise (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS), who just beat the throw to pull the Eagles within one after walking as a pinch hitter one batter earlier.
 
After another pitching change, Liberty stranded Ellis at second to remain ahead. They continued that momentum by producing a two-out RBI single up the middle the following half inning for a 9-7 lead.
 
In the ninth, Felix drew a 3-0 count to begin his leadoff at bat, but eventually grounded out as the Flames ultimately retired their final seven batters faced in the game.
 
Outside of the two-hit performance from Ellis, Felix finished 2-for-3 with a run and a pair of RBIs while four others also tallied one hit apiece, including Wilmer, who was one of three players with multiple runs knocked in.
 
Valiente fell to 1-1 on the season with the tough luck loss. Garrett Horn (2-1) picked up the win for Liberty behind five innings that included one hit and four walks along with five strikeouts. Cole Hertzler totaled his second save of the season with four strikeouts over the final 2.1 innings.
 
The two teams are scheduled to meet again twice over the next two days, although there's a chance those could be changed to a doubleheader on Saturday due to the potential for rain in the area on Sunday.
 
Liberty, the preseason choice to win the ASUN, snapped a four-game losing streak while extending their winning streak against FGCU to four dating back to last year. The Flames are 8-3 all-time against the Eagles.
 
For complete coverage of FGCU baseball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_Baseball and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU baseball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
 
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS, MINI PLANS AVAILABLE  
Tickets for the 2023 FGCU baseball season are on sale now and can be purchased by going online to www.FGCUTickets.com or calling 866-FGCU-TIX. Group tickets can also be purchased for 10 or more people – making a memorable evening for families, businesses, or other organizations.  
 
COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 685-412-3 overall record (.623) and a 228-118 (.659) record in the ASUN. He is the only head coach in the program's history and led the program to its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. He is a five-time ASUN Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to five ASUN Regular Season Championships and one ASUN Tournament Championship. His team has been ranked nationally on several occasions, including as high as No. 9 in the country in 2017, and has coached 63 all-conference selections, 33 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 13 current minor leaguers, four ASUN Pitchers of the Year, four All-Americans, three ASUN Players of the Year, two National Freshman All-Americans, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one seven-time MLB All-Star.
 
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 96 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 48 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. Nine FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22 and No. 23 in 2022-23), baseball (No. 20 in 2023), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022), and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as five 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 3.66 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 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---