FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU once again refused to lose, threatening with a runner in scoring position in a tied bottom of the ninth inning, then capitalized on a Minnesota error in a 6-5 win in front of a crowd of 784 at Swanson Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The Eagles (4-0) and Minnesota (3-1) traded runs until the eighth, when the Green & Blue extended its lead to 5-3 as
Jon Embury doubled, driving in
Cayden Hessemyer. Minnesota narrowed the gap in the ninth inning with two runs, but Florida Gulf Coast ultimately clinched the game when
Jaret Nelson scored on a walk-off throwing error, securing the win.
It marked the third time the Eagles have been able to register a walkoff win in four games this season. The game also marked the program's 10
th win over a Power 4 opponent since 2021 and the first over a Big Ten opponent since throttling Minnesota, 13-5, in 2022.
Embury was powerful at the plate, recording a 3-for-5 performance that included his fifth double of the season. He scored a run and drove another in.
Tyler Herb and
Jeremy Comer each recorded triples as Comer was 2-for-5 in the game.
Javier Gorostola again delivered in the clutch, recording back-to-back singles in the seventh and eighth innings.
The Golden Gophers were led by Ty Allen's 2-for-4 performance at the plate as the lone Minnesota player to record multiple hits.
Ashton Pocol (1-0) was credited with the win for the Eagles after allowing two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out six in his three innings of relief. FGCU's pitching staff dealt 12 strikeouts in the game, extending its national lead with 69 strikeouts over the first four games of the season.
The victory marks just the fifth time in program history that FGCU has started off a year 4-0. That unblemished record will get put to the test this weekend as Stonehill College visits for a three-game series. A win on Friday over Stonehill would mark a 5-0 record for the Eagles, matching the best start to a season in program history (2004).
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Game Notes:
- This marks the fifth time in program history that FGCU has started a year at 4-0. The Eagles last started a season 4-0 in 2023 and also did so in 2004, 2008 and 2018. It matches the second-best start in program history, behind the 5-0 start in 2004.
- FGCU has now won two consecutive meetings over Minnesota and is 2-3 all-time against the Golden Gophers.
- Wednesday's win was the first time the Eagles have beaten a Big Ten Conference program since 2022, with a 13-5 throttling of Minnesota.
- The Eagles pitchers finished the game with 12 strikeouts, their fewest in a game to date. FGCU pitchers now rank second nationally with 69 strikeouts this season.
- Ashton Pocol posted a season-high strikeouts and now ranks fifth nationally with 11 strikeouts this season.
- Of FGCU's four wins this year, three have been on walkoffs.
