Jake McKee and Harrison Povey homered while Chris Diaz struck out 10 on Friday in Florida Gulf Coast University baseball's 7-1 win over Queens University of Charlotte to open the weekend road series.

After a 50-minute weather delay before first pitch, McKee got things started right away with a leadoff home run – his second-round tripper of the year. FGCU added another run in the first for a crooked number off a Queens fielding error.

The Royals responded with their lone run of the game in the bottom half of the inning. Three of Queens' eight hits Friday came in the opening frame.

Diaz settled in and retired the next 14 batters before finally giving up a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth. During that span, he fanned seven of his 10 victims. He went a team-season high 7.0 innings on 97 pitches, surrendering just a single run on six hits. Diaz also matched the most strikeouts (10) that any FGCU pitcher has had this season in an outing.

Povey connected on a two-run shot in the top of the fourth to extend the Eagles' lead to 6-1. The home run was Povey's ninth of the year, bringing his career tally to 50. In the inning prior, FGCU manufactured a run off a Cayden Hessemeyer bunt single, and a Jon Embury RBI single.

The Eagles added its seventh run of the contest in the seventh courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Hessemyer. Evan Dempsey went 4-for-4, McKee turned in 3-for-5 effort and Hessemyer had a 2-for-4 performance as the Eagles tallied 13 hits Friday.

FGCU aims to clinch its second ASUN series of the season in game two on Saturday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.