Davian Garcia and
Justin Henschel combined for a two-hit shutout, with five runs in the second inning giving Florida Gulf Coast University all the runs it would need as the Eagles defeated Stetson University 6-0 in the opener of an Atlantic Sun Conference baseball series in DeLand, Fla., Friday night.
"Garcia gave us another great effort on a Friday night," said FGCU head coach
Dave Tollett. "We've always known that gear's been there from him. We just didn't know whether to start it on the first lap or on the last lap."
Garcia (2-2) didn't give up his first hit until the leadoff man in the sixth inning. Tossing 105 pitches, the junior righty went seven innings, allowing just two hits in total with four walks and seven strikeouts. The most pressure Garcia would face would be in that sixth inning when the Hatters loaded the bases with one out. The Oceanside, Calif., native would rally back with a strikeout and a pop out to leave the bases full, extinguishing the best Stetson threat of the night. After retiring the side in order in the seventh, Garcia gave way to Henschel, who would allow just an eighth inning walk before striking out the side in the ninth to nail down the victory.
With
Ian Farrow returning to the lineup after missing the previous nine games with an injury, FGCU (16-16, 9-4 ASUN) locked in early against Stetson pitching.
Mac Moise put the Eagles up 2-0 in the second when he connected on a two-run homer, his fifth blast of the season. "When you picture an FGCU baseball player, you want him to be like Mac," Coach Tollett said. "He's worked his tail off to get in the position that he's in. He's a leader on our team and he's just been really special for us."
After a double off
Evan Dempsey's bat,
Trevor Kole ripped a single back through the box to plate the runner and put the Green & Blue ahead 3-0. Freshman
Charles Davalan would follow with a two-run wall scraper that just cleared the fence in dead center to make it a 5-0 game.
In the fifth,
Robert Moya would single with an out, then Dempsey would get his second extra-base hit of the night as his triple into the gap in right center sent Moya on a sprint around the bases to give the Eagles a 6-0 lead. Davalan and Dempsey combined for three of FGCU's extra-base hits on the night. "They're not freshmen anymore," Coach Tollett said. "We're on the back end of this thing, and they don't play like freshmen. They're really special players and they keep getting big hits for us."
Farrow finished the night at 2-for-4 with a single and a triple. While he didn't score or drive in any runs, the pressure on the rest of the lineup was lifted with the senior's bat back in the lineup. "When he got his hit the first time up, it just ignited our dugout," Coach Tollett said. "It just ignited us from the team aspect and really our morale."
With Jacksonville losing 11-10 at Austin Peay, the Eagles are now tied at the top of the congested ASUN standings with the Dolphins and the Hatters. After a 5-10 start to the season, the Eagles moved back to .500 with the win and continue to build momentum in conference play. "[To be tied for first] is huge for our team. We played a tough schedule early to get us ready for things like this," Coach Tollett said. "The move to Garcia on a Friday night gives us a legit chance in the league."
FGCU will turn its attention to Saturday night's contest with the Hatters. First pitch is again scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Melching Field.
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