DELAND, Fla. — In a pitchers' duel, FGCU's hurlers delivered at least 10 strikeouts for the 27th time this season, including when facing the last Stetson batter of the game. Combining that and
Cayden Hessemyer's first game-winning RBI of the season gave FGCU a 2-1 win on Sunday, and the first series sweep over the Hatters since 2022.
The win, in front of 874 at Melching Field at Conrad Park, pushed Florida Gulf Coast (29-17, 13-10 Atlantic Sun) past Jacksonville (29-17, 13-11) into second place in the ASUN's Graphite Division by a half-game. It also kept the Eagles within 3.5 games of division leader North Florida (26-20, 17-7) with two series (six games) left to play.
Gallery: (5-3-2026) FGCU at Stetson
The Eagles' pitching staff delivered a strong performance, striking out 10 batters and allowing only one earned run across nine innings. A pair of non-consecutive doubles in the sixth inning provided the decisive run for the Green & Blue, which held the Hatters scoreless after the first inning to clinch the win.
Jon Embury recorded a home run, contributing one of FGCU's two runs in the game.
Jaret Nelson contributed offensively with two hits, including a double, and scored the winning run, driven in from second by Hessemyer's game-winning RBI double.
Hunter Possehl (3-1) pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run while striking out six batters.
Mattox Meeks delivered 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, striking out three and conceding three hits. Elliot Cadieux-Lanoue (1) secured the save with a brief but effective outing, striking out the only Stetson batter he faced.
Landon Russell led the Hatters' offense with a 3-for-4 performance and scored the only run of the game for the hosts. Anthony Gonzalez contributed with two hits.
On the mound, Ethan Phillips delivered a solid performance, pitching 2 1/3 innings without allowing a run. Connor Ball (2-2) managed to complete six innings, striking out one, but was charged with the loss after allowing both of FGCU's runs.
Embury put Florida Gulf Coast on the board early with a solo home run down the line to left field in the first inning, marking his 14th of the season. His hit came off the bat at a screaming 108 miles per hour. The Hatters responded in the bottom half when Yohann Dessureault delivered an RBI single, tying the score at 1–1 after one inning.
In the sixth inning, the Green & Blue reclaimed the lead. Nelson doubled down the left field line, then Hessemyer drove him in with a double to right center, making it 2–1. The Eagles maintained their advantage through a scoreless seventh and eighth innings.
Florida Gulf Coast's pitching held strong, and Cadieux-Lanoue closed the ninth with a strikeout to secure the victory.
FGCU will next head to Miami to take on FIU on Wednesday, May 6 at 6 p.m. The Eagles are looking to sweep FIU for the second consecutive year and a win would tie FGCU's longest win streak over the Panthers, matching the six-game win streak from 2018-23.
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Game Notes:
- FGCU swept a three-game weekend series over Stetson for the first time since 2022.
- This also marked the first regular season sweep of SU since 2022.
- With Sunday's win, the Eagles are now 41-30 all-time against the Hatters. FGCU has now won six straight over Stetson.
- Florida Gulf Coast is now 22-16 all-time against SU when playing in DeLand and 38-26 against SU in conference play.
- Team - Totaled 13 fielding assists in the game, surpassing their season average of 7.56.
- Team - Achieved at least 9 hits in 3 consecutive games.
- Team - Collected at least 10 pitching strikeouts swinging in 3 consecutive games.
- Hessemyer - Achieved a season-high 4 putouts.
- Nelson - Recorded 2 hits in back-to-back games.
- Embury - Recorded 2 or more hits in 3 consecutive games.
