MIAMI – Florida Gulf Coast managed to outlast a late ninth-inning surge by FIU, holding on for the 9-8 win Wednesday night at FIU Baseball Stadium in Miami.
Evan Dempsey and Ryan Rushing both played critical roles in the win for FGCU (30-17), as the Eagles became the first Atlantic Sun Conference team to reach 30 wins.
It also marked the 17
th time in
Dave Tollett's 24 years that he has guided his team to 30-or-more wins. The win also marked FGCU's sixth straight win over FIU, sealing the season sweep over the Panthers and matching FGCU's longest winning streak over FIU in series history.
Dempsey recorded three runs, two hits and two RBIs, including a home run and two stolen bases. The two swipes pushed him past Stephen Wickens (2008-11) for the fifth-most number of career stolen bases at FGCU with 37.
Meanwhile, Ryan Rushing (2-0) earned his second win of the season by striking out a career-high five batters while matching his longest career outing of three innings.
Jeremy Comer contributed by scoring three runs and adding a home run among his two hits.
Nathan Gagnon tallied two hits, one of which was a home run, and drove in one run.
Elliot Cadieux Lanoue and Hyatt Richardson each pitched one scoreless inning, with Cadieux Lanoue striking out one. Sebastian Lippman concluded the game, giving up three earned runs on two hits, including one home run, over his inning of work.
Samuel Fischer made a strong impact for the Panthers, delivering four RBIs, two hits, and scoring two runs, including a home run. Andrew Ildefonso matched this performance, also recording three RBIs and two runs with a home run. Marc Hersh was effective at the plate, securing two hits and scoring once. On the mound, Mason Koczwara provided solid relief, striking out three batters in one inning without allowing a run.
Florida Gulf Coast jumped out to an early lead in the first inning when Dempsey singled and later scored on a
Jaret Nelson single. However, Florida International responded with a three-run homer by Ildefonso, giving the Panthers a 3-1 lead at the end of the first inning.
In the second inning, the Eagles' offense regained momentum. Comer singled and eventually scored on a double play, and Dempsey hit a two-run homer to left center, putting them ahead 4-3. FIU managed to bring in a run with a single from Samuel Fischer, tying the score at 4-4 after two innings.
FIU took a 5-4 lead in the third inning after Ildefonso scored on a failed pickoff attempt. The Green & Blue's Gagnon tied the game in the fourth with a solo homer to right field, bringing the score to 5-5 by the inning's end.
Florida Gulf Coast seized control in the fifth inning.
Cayden Hessemyer scored on a wild pitch, and Comer came home on a sacrifice fly by Cole Lasher, pushing the team to a 7-5 lead. They added another run in the sixth when Dempsey scored on a sacrifice fly by
Wilfred Gonzalez, extending the lead to 8-5.
In the seventh, Comer homered to left field, further extending the Eagles' advantage to 9-5. The eighth inning remained scoreless for both teams.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Panthers staged a late rally with a three-run homer by Samuel Fischer, but the Green & Blue held on to secure the 9-8 victory.
FGCU now returns home to Fort Myers and Swanson Stadium to host West Georgia in a three-game ASUN series beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m. Saturday's game is set for a 5 p.m. start, while Sunday's game has been moved up to an 11 a.m. start.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on FGCU Baseball, follow the Eagles on
Instagram,
X (Twitter) and
Facebook, and visit
FGCUathletics.com.
Game Notes:
- With the win, Florida Gulf Coast became the first Atlantic Sun Conference team to reach 30 wins this year.
- This marked the 17th time in Dave Tollett's 24 years at FGCU that he has led his team to 30 wins.
- With the win, the Eagles have now won six straight games over FIU, matching the program's longest winning streak over the Panthers (3/20/2018 - 3/22/2023).
- Evan Dempsey recorded two stolen bases in the game, giving him 37 stolen bases in his career, putting him in sole possession of fifth all-time at FGCU in stolen bases.
- Team - Achieved at least 9 pitching strikeouts swinging for the fourth consecutive game.
- Team - Reached the milestone of 300 runs batted in for the season, contributing 7 in the current game.
- Team - Scored 9 runs in the game, exceeding their season average of 6.83.
- Team - Recorded 3 stolen bases in the game, above their season average of 0.8.
- Cayden Hessemyer - Achieved at least 2 hits in 2 consecutive games.
- Evan Dempsey - Reached 51 runs scored for the season, surpassing the milestone of 50.
- Evan Dempsey - Achieved 100 runs batted in for their career, reaching the milestone with 2 in the current game.
- Jaret Nelson - Recorded 2 or more hits in 3 consecutive games.
- Jeremy Comer - Scored 3 runs, exceeding their season average of 0.57.
- Ryan Rushing - Pitched a season-high 3 innings.
- Ryan Rushing - Recorded a career-high 5 strikeouts.
- Nathan Gagnon - Hit his 2nd home run of the season.
- Jeremy Comer - Hit his 7th home run of the season.
- Evan Dempsey - Hit his 8th home run of the season.
