FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU softball team dropped the series finale Sunday against Jacksonville, losing 6-1 to the Dolphins at the FGCU Softball Complex.

The loss snapped FGCU's season-best seven-game win streak, as the Eagles fall to 20-13 overall and 2-1 in the ASUN Conference. Jacksonville moved back to .500 at 14-14 overall, but exits the ASUN opening weekend at 1-2. 

FGCU is the first ASUN team this season to record 20 or more wins -- reaching the mark Saturday with its 1-0 game-two victory that clinched the series victory. 

"Disappointing end to a really strong week of softball," said FGCU softball head coach David Deiros. "We went 5-1, swept one opponent and won our first ASUN series. So that's pretty neat, but we fell behind big really early and couldn't really play our normal game, We fought back to give ourselves chances to score, but they were just the better team today." 

The Eagles could not overcome a sluggish start -- their sixth game in four days -- on a gloomy day, and Jacksonville took full advantage by taking a 6-0 lead just after two innings. The Dolphins scored twice in the opening inning and then piled on with a four-run second.

Three of Jacksonville's six Sunday runs were unearned, and all six runs were scored in the first two innings.

Offensively, the Eagles squared up many pitches and outhit Jacksonville 9-7. However, FGCU could not piece a few timely hits together to score more than one run -- as redshirt sophomore Meagan Ricks (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven HS) delivered an RBI single in the fifth. The Eagles stranded 10 baserunners to Jacksonville's six.

The hit margin could have been much wider, as FGCU belted many balls directly at Dolphins fielders. 

Seven different Eagles recorded a hit Sunday, as graduate Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF) finished perfect 3-for-3. Filla has now tallied a team-leading 34 hits this season, averaging .340 to go along with a .570 slugging percentage.

FGCU also failed to record a stolen base. The Eagles are now 0-7 in games without a successful steal. The Green & Blue is perfect 12-0 in games with three or more stolen bases. Entering the weekend, FGCU ranked sixth in the nation in total stolen bases.

Junior Claire Maulding (Casey, Ill./Casey Westfield HS/Lake Land College) earned the starting nod, and was credited with the loss -- her third of the season. Maulding pitched only 1 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on five hits.

Senior Ally Hulme (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS/State College of Florida) relieved Maulding, and subdued the Dolphins from there -- striking out four batters in 4 2/3 innings of work. Hulme is now just five strikeouts away from surpassing Sarah Lawton and moving into FGCU's all-time top 10 list in career strikeouts. 

FGCU now directs its attention to ASUN preseason favorites Liberty (16-9, 3-0), leaving the friendly confines of the Sunshine State to Lynchburg, Va., on March 25-26. The Eagles have played their first 33 games of the season in the state of Florida.

The three-game road series at Liberty begins with a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The teams face off at 10:30 a.m. Sunday to close out the series. FGCU returns home April 1-2 to host Austin Peay.

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 726-410-3 (.637) record, gone 178-110 (.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 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 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 in 2021-22 and No. 22 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---