Evan Dempsey went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and
Cayden Hessemyer drove in three more as Florida Gulf Coast University clinched a spot in the Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Championship with a 5-4 win over the University of West Georgia on Sunday in Carrollton, Georgia.
The Eagles (24-26, 14-13 ASUN) have staged a remarkable turnaround after starting conference play 1-7. Now winners of eight of their last nine ASUN games, the Eagles sit in third place in the Graphite Division, five games ahead of UWG (18-30, 9-18) to secure a postseason berth.
Unlike the first two games of the weekend series, the Eagles had to rally in Sunday's finale. The Wolves jumped ahead with two runs in the second inning, but FGCU responded with clutch two-out hitting in the third. After singles by
Nathan Gagnon and
Jake McKee, Dempsey delivered an RBI single to right. Hessemyer followed with a game-tying single to make it 2-2.
The Eagles took the lead for good in the fifth. Dempsey doubled to left-center to score
Mac Moise, and Hessemyer followed with a two-run single to left, bringing home McKee and Dempsey for a 5-2 advantage.
Ryland Bozenhard started on the mound and pitched into the seventh, allowing four hits and three earned runs while striking out nine. After back-to-back doubles cut the lead to 5-3,
Preston Rogers entered in relief and allowed one inherited runner to score before escaping the inning. Rogers held UWG scoreless in the eighth with help from his defense, and
Ashton Pocol struck out the side in the ninth to earn his second save of the series.
FGCU's pitching staff dominated the weekend, posting a 1.73 ERA and striking out 39 batters while holding UWG to a .140 average.
The Eagles return to action Tuesday at Florida Atlantic, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. They'll close the regular season with a three-game home series against Stetson beginning Thursday at Swanson Stadium in Fort Myers.
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