FORT MYERS, Fla. – For
Jaret Nelson, elevated pollen levels are not the reason he'll be unable to breathe for the next day or so. The FGCU senior refused to leave the game after taking a 92 mile per hour fastball to the face. All he did after that was deliver the game-winning RBI as the homestanding Eagles walked off Boston College, 4-3, Sunday afternoon to claim the series win.
"He said, just get this to stop so I can go to first base," FGCU head coach
Dave Tollett recalled, illustrating Nelson's determination.
It marked the sixth come-from-behind win for Florida Gulf Coast (10-2) of the season, and the series win over Boston College (5-5) was FGCU's first over a P4 opponent since 2021.
"They just feel the magic," Tollett said of his players' mentality in the ninth inning. "And once Javier [Gorostola] got that walk, they felt like they were going to get it done."
Unwilling to back down after being hit by a pitch for the third time this season, Nelson took the bag and was running on the next pitch, allowing him to score from first on
Wilfred Gonzalez's double to right, scoring the first run of the game for either team.
In the ninth inning, FGCU secured the win in dramatic fashion. Drew Seidel, pinch running at first after
Javier Gorostola was issued a leadoff walk, advanced from first to third on a single wild pitch. Nelson then delivered a walk-off RBI single through the left side, scoring Seidel and giving the Green & Blue the 4-3 victory.
Ashton Pocol (2-0) was credited with the win after allowing just two hits in two innings with two strikeouts, not allowing a run, hit or a walk. Sean Hard (0-1) was charged with the loss after allowing one run on four hits, walking two and fanning one in two innings on the mound.
"This is a big series win," Tollett noted, emphasizing the competitive nature of the matchup. "Both teams played well. Both of us played one bad game and then played one good game. Today was a dogfight, and it could have gone either way."
Evan Dempsey led all hitters with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate while Gonzalez was 1-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Ty Mainolfi led Boston College with a 2-for-3 day at the plate while Nick Wang was 2-for-5 with BC's lone RBI.
FGCU will now hit the road for the first time this season as the Eagles travel to Orlando Wednesday for a mid-week matchup at UCF (5-5). The Knights are coming off a 2-1 win over South Florida.
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Game Notes:
- Tyler Herb - Achieved a season-high total of 2 bases on balls.
- Jaret Nelson - Achieved 1 run batted in, above their career average of 0.61.
- Hunter Possehl - Achieved a season-high total of 2 fielding assists.
- Cayden Hessemyer - Recorded at least 2 hits in 2 consecutive games.
- Ashton Pocol - Recorded a season-high of 2 pitching ground outs.
- With the win, Florida Gulf Coast evens the all-time series against Boston College at 5-5.
- This marked the Eagles' first series win over a P4 opponent since winning three of four games against Kansas in 2021.
