CONWAY, Ark. -- A final-inning rally by the FGCU softball team came up short Saturday at Central Arkansas, as the Bears completed the series sweep of the Eagles with a 4-3 victory at Farris Field.

FGCU threatened numerous times throughout the game, and left five of six baserunners in scoring position. The Eagles finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs via an RBI double by freshman Olivia Black (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Central HS) and a two-run single from sophomore Avery Viancos (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona HS). 

The rally fell short, however, as FGCU was unable to advance the potential tying run from first base and force extra innings.

FGCU drops to 24-19 overall and 6-6 in league play, while Central Arkansas improves to 27-8 and 11-1 in the ASUN Conference.

"Proud of how our team battled all day long, and gave us chances to score," said FGCU softball head coach David Deiros. "Our lefties were particularly solid today. We will take a couple of well-earned days off, and get ready for EKU."

Viancos, freshman Emily Chiarella (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS), freshman Tiffany Meek (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./William T. Dwyer HS), and Black each produced two hits on Saturday -- with Black recording two doubles. The four Eagles combined to record eight of FGCU's nine hits, as the Green & Blue smacked more hits Saturday than in games one and two combined.

Chiarella's successful stolen base now ties teammate Black for a team-leading 19 steals on the year - both tying for second across the conference. Viancos posted the second of two steals for FGCU as the Eagles failed to reach the needed steal benchmark of three or to ensure victory.

FGCU is a perfect 14-0 in games with three or more stolen bases and entered the weekend No. 8 in the nation in total stolen bases. The Eagles leave Conway with their 100th stolen base on the season. The single-season program record in steals is 145 which was set back in 2003.

Senior Baylee Haggard (Naples, Fla./Palmetto Ridge HS/Florida SouthWestern State & South Florida State College) earned her ninth pitching start of the season, and surrendered two runs on five hits over 2 ⅓ innings. Junior Angelina Bonilla (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS), senior Ally Hulme (Safety Harbor, Fla./Sickles HS/State College of Florida), and freshman Gracie Wallace (Sorrento, Fla./Windermere Preparatory School) combined for five strikeouts the rest of the way. Haggard was credited with loss, just her third of the season. 

Jordan Johnson earned her 13th win of the season for UCA and now ties for the second-most in the ASUN. Kayla Beaver was credited with the save by recording the final two outs.

As a team, FGCU is 2-17 on the year when trailing heading into the final inning, but is a perfect 20-0 when leading into the final frame of play.

The Eagles return home April 14-16 to host Eastern Kentucky (20-17, 4-8 ASUN) for a three-game, three-day home stand beginning on Friday at 5 p.m. as both programs eye to keep pace in the ASUN Conference regular-season race.

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 730-416-3 (.635) record, gone 182-115 (.613) 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. 15 in 2023), beach volleyball (No. 20 in 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 3.67 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.

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