Florida Gulf Coast University baseball captured its second Atlantic Sun Conference series victory Sunday, outlasting Queens University of Charlotte 6-3 in the series finale in Charlotte, North Carolina.
With FGCU up 6-3 in the bottom of the ninth, the Royals loaded the bases with a two-out walk to put the tying run on first and brought the winning run up to the plate. Head coach Dave Tollett had seen enough with another potential walkoff brewing and made the change to a different reliever.
Ashton Pocol was granted the honor to get the final out from the pen, doing so with a strikeout and glove toss to the bench. Pocol was credited with his first save of the season.
Ryland Bozenhard started on the bump for the Eagles in the rubber-match game three. FGCU defeated Queens in game one on Friday 7-1 and lost in walk-off fashion 6-5 on Saturday. Bozenhard went a season-high 6.0 innings Sunday, surrendering three runs on seven hits while fanning four. Bozenhard improved to 2-0 in Sunday's effort.
FGCU broke the scoreless tie in the third. The Eagles brought nine up to the plate and scored four runs on three hits in the frame.
Queens cut the deficit in half in the fourth, and then drew within one, 4-3, in the sixth off a solo home run. FGCU added insurance runs in the eighth, a Jake Mummau infield single, and in the ninth, a Mac Moise sacrifice fly, to provide extra cushion for the Eagles' pitching staff to seal the deal.
Mummau led all FGCU hitters Sunday with a 3-for-4 performance. Cayden Hesseymer and Robert Moya produced two hits apiece.
Queens matched FGCU in total hits with nine. Both teams also stranded 10 runners on base, but FGCU ultimately improved to 14-21 and 6-9 in league play after its back-to-back ASUN series victories.
The Eagles host FIU on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Swanson Stadium before hitting the conference road slate once again next weekend at Jacksonville.
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