JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast softball (14-23, 8-4 ASUN) dropped the rubber match at Jacksonville, 8-5 (23-15, 8-4) on Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles allowed four runs each in the third and fourth inning to the Dolphins, who took the series after also winning the first game of the Saturday doubleheader. Mistakes again hurt FGCU, as all four JU runs in the third inning were unearned. 

Sietske Drijvers extended her 16 game on-base streak with a walk, and Olivia Black went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. For Jacksonville, Alison Carter went 1-for-3 with four RBI, and Sarah Beth Brake collected a pair of hits.

After an error allowed the first Dolphins batter of the third inning to reach, a pair of walks and a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases with one out. FGCU was a step away from an inning-ending double play on a ground ball, but two runs scored instead for Jacksonville. Lindsay Chadwick then homered with two outs to make it 4-0 Dolphins.

In the fourth, the Eagles' offense began to wake up. Kiki Daniels drew a walk and Parris Wiggs reached on an error to set up a pinch hit at-bat for Presley Smith. She delivered with a double down the left field line for FGCU's first two runs of the game.

The Dolphins continued applying pressure in the bottom half of the fourth. A pair of singles and a fielder's choice loaded the bases with one out, and a sacrifice fly set the table for back-to-back RBI singles to give JU an 8-2 lead.

In the seventh, it was Danae Falquez' turn to spark a rally for FGCU. The freshman reached on an error to set up a string of five consecutive singles and walks from K'Mari Williams, Parris Wiggs, Olivia Black, Tiffany Meek and Nikki Gibson. The Eagles scored three to draw within 8-5 during the rally, but were unable to complete the comeback and fell, 8-5.

Next, FGCU continues its road trip with a series at West Georgia, beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 11.

2026 softball mini plans and single game tickets are on sale at https://fgcuathletics.evenue.net/list/SB. 

For more information on FGCU Softball, follow @FGCUSoftball on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.

Postgame Notes
– The Eagles lead the all-time series with Jacksonville 42-15 
– FGCU is 18-10 against the Dolphins in Jacksonville. 
– Drijvers extended her on-base streak to 16 games with a walk and HBP
– Black had a two-hit game
– Falquez reached on an error to reach base for the first time in her career
– Smith and Gibson each had two-RBI games
  Read Full Article