Florida Gulf Coast University got three strong outings from pitchers Friday as the Eagles swept an Atlantic Sun Conference Graphite Division baseball doubleheader from the University of West Georgia 4-2 and 14-0 (8) in Carrollton, Georgia.
Evan Dempsey went seven strong innings in game one, allowing just two runs on three hits with a career-high 11 strikeouts.
Ashton Pocol worked the final two innings, striking out two en route to the save. In game two,
Chris Diaz went all eight innings, striking out 11 Wolves while just allowing three hits.
GAME ONE: FGCU 4, UWG 2
The Eagles drew first blood in the second as
Cayden Hessemyer doubled to left to score
Harrison Povey, making it 1-0. In the fourth, three straight hits to start the inning put the Eagles up 2-0. Povey and Hessemyer each singled, then
Jaret Nelson pulled a single through the left side to plate Povey. Three batters later, Nelson stole second and Hessemyer trotted home when the throw to second went into center field.
Nelson added on FGCU's fourth run in the sixth. The junior would connect on a 1-1 offering for a towering drive out to left and his fourth homer of the season, making it 4-0 for the guests.
On the other side of the ledger, Dempsey was dealing. The sophomore struck out eight batters in a row from the first batter in the third through the second batter of the fifth. It was part of a stretch that saw the hurler retire 13 Wolves in a row.
West Georgia would inch closer in the sixth with two runs, but Dempsey would get out of the inning without any more damage. After a spotless seventh, Dempsey would give way to Pocol. The reliever allowed a single in the eighth but retired six of the seven batters he faced to pick up his third save of the season.
Dempsey improved to 4-1 on the season. The Tampa, Florida native has won three straight decisions and now has an ERA of 1.62.
GAME TWO: FGCU 14, UWG 0 (8 innings)
Eight would be enough for the Eagles in a couple of ways during Friday night's second game. First, FGCU would need only eight innings. Second, the Eagles would plate eight runs in the third to put the game out of reach early.
Nathan Gagnon started the scoring for FGCU with a line drive homer over the fence in right to stake the Eagles to a 1-0 lead. With Dempsey and Hessemyer on after two singles and with two men out, Povey would hit a tailing fly ball to right that the UWG rightfielder dove for but missed. The ball would roll almost all the way to the fence, allowing the two runners to score and putting Povey on third with a triple and a 3-0 FGCU lead.
The triple would open the proverbial flood gates.
Jon Embury would follow Povey with his first homer of the game to make it 5-0. Singles by
Tyler Herb and
Mac Moise preceded a walk to Gagnon, loading the bases for
Jake McKee. The senior would come through with a bases clearing double to left center, making it an 8-0 game.
FGCU (23-26, 13-13 ASUN) added a single run in the fifth, then the Eagles would ice the game in the eighth. Nelson and Povey would get one-out RBI singles to make it 11-0. With a chance to make sure the game would end early, Embury provided the final blow. His three-run blast to left capped a 4-for-5 game with the freshman setting a new season-high in RBI with five as the Eagles led 14-0. UWG (18-29, 9-17 ASUN) would go in order in the bottom of the inning and the game came to an early end via the run rule.
Diaz (5-3) became the first Eagle to throw back-to-back complete games since Michael Murray accomplished the feat March 29 and April 4, 2014 against Stetson and Kennesaw State. He would set a new career-high in strikeouts with 11 in the victory, giving him 77 for the season.
The two teams are scheduled to complete the series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., unless the weather allows for enough of a window to play the game Saturday. Follow FGCU baseball's social media channels for the latest updates.
