DeLAND, Fla. – The fourth-seeded FGCU softball team's final-inning rally came up short Wednesday at the ASUN Championship against fifth-seeded North Alabama, resulting in a 6-5 setback at Patricia Wilson Field.
After a three-hour weather delay, FGCU almost erased a four-run deficit -- but the Eagles' tying run was called out at the plate in the seventh inning.
With the loss, FGCU (31-25) drops down into the loser's bracket and will now face the loser of the third-seeded Jacksonville State/second-seeded Liberty matchup Thursday at 3 p.m. The elimination game will air on ESPN+.
"We have only one player on our roster with ASUN Championship experience," said FGCU head coach David Deiros. "Our inexperience showed a little today, but we are not done yet. Looking forward to getting back after it (Thursday) and keeping the season alive."
Trailing 6-2 and with three outs remaining, ASUN First Team selection and redshirt sophomore Meagan Ricks (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven HS) kick-started the seventh inning with a no-doubt solo homer to right field. Graduate Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF) and senior Neely Peterson (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Cypress Creek HS/Colorado State & Santa Fe College) then drew back-to-back walks.
Mother Nature halted the building tension at 3:25 p.m., providing a lightning display and a few showers.
When play finally resumed at 6:30 p.m., sophomore Sam Leski (Clearwater, Fla./Calvary Christian HS) kept the momentum following with an RBI single to make it 6-4. Chaos followed on Riley Oakes' (Oviedo, Fla./Bishop Moore Catholic HS/Radford) ensuing two-out RBI single, as Oakes forced a rundown on the same play to allow sophomore Avery Viancos (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona HS) an ultimately unsuccessful chance to round third and steal the game-tying run.
Oakes led all Eagles with three hits, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Wednesday marked the first time that the Lions and Eagles have met in the ASUN Championship. The Lions roared early, struck first, and showed no signs of fatigue after an extra-inning victory over eighth-seeded Jacksonville late Tuesday night. UNA (32-14-1) advances to face top-seeded Central Arkansas.
UNA opened with at least one run during each of the first three innings against Eagles junior Angelina Bonilla (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS -- highlighted by a towering second-inning solo shot by Haven Kirby. Seven different Lions scattered hits, with three producing multiple hits. Bonilla would absorb the loss for FGCU.
The Eagles first began to threaten in the bottom of the third, but FGCU stranded the bases loaded. The Green & Blue finally converted in the fourth. After making her second stellar outfield grab of the day, Oakes belted an RBI triple to score her team's first run of the game.
The speed of ASUN All-Freshman member Emily Chiarella (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) accounted for the second FGCU run of the inning, as she beat out a two-out infield single to make it 3-2.
The Lions got one back in the fifth for a 4-2 advantage, and in the sixth, Kirby was inches away from notching her second home run of the game and the third for the Lions. Still, UNA's two-run sixth inning extended its lead to 6-2.
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 is in his 21st season as head coach. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the ground up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 737-422-3 (.635) record, gone 189-120 (.614) 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 98 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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