Eagles rally past Hurricanes 5-4
With each of its last four losses coming by one run, FGCU found itself on the other end of a one-run decision for a change by defeating Miami 5-4 Wednesday in Coral Gables.
The win gives the Eagles (26-9) the overall season series 2-0 against the Hurricanes (15-18).
With the game tied 4-4 in the top of the eighth inning, freshman designated hitter Alex Brait came through with a one-out single up the middle to score Corey Fehribach from second base and put the Eagles in front.
From there, redshirt junior reliever Kenton Hering pitched the final two innings in perfect fashion. Hering struck out four of the six batters he faced, including all three in the ninth, en route to earning his second save of the season.
Taking a by-committee approach on the mound, FGCU used a total of eight pitchers with redshirt junior Parker Hamilton (1-0, 3.68 ERA) earning the win. The Eagles didn’t walk a batter past the start of the fifth inning and recorded 10 of their final 14 outs via the strikeout.
With the win, FGCU not only claimed the season series against the in-state rival for the first time in program history, but also improved to 5-2 in games against Florida, FSU and Miami this season.
“It’s a huge win for our program and a huge win for the university,” said Eagles coach Dave Tollett. “We’ve been playing Miami since 2008, and we’ve never been able to win the series against them. Once we settled in, we were able to throw strikes and get some punch outs. Kenton Hering was pretty special in the end, and Brait came through with a big hit when we needed one. That was a big spot for a freshman to be in.”
The leadoff batter reached in four of the first five innings, but the Hurricanes stranded eight runners during the span and allowed the Eagles to remain within striking distance. After Miami took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third, Gage Morey made a great diving catch in the left-center-field gap to end the frame with the bases loaded.
Maintaining a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, Miami appeared poised to extend its advantage as back-to-back walks and sacrifice bunt moved a pair of runners into scoring position. FGCU relievers Trey Vickery and Mario Leon combined to strike out the next two batters to get out of the jam unscathed.
The Eagles return to Fort Myers for a three-game series against USC Upstate Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Softball
FGCU dropped a doubleheader to FAU Wednesday night, extending the Eagles’ losing streak to five games.
The Eagles (21-21) dropped a heartbreaking pitcher’s duel 3-2 in nine innings and then succumbed to defensive miscues in the second game loss 8-3.
Home runs by Brittany McGuire and Caley Chappel put FGCU in front 2-0 after two innings, but a rally in the fifth by FAU negated the lead and ultimately forced extra innings. FAU grabbed a 3-2 lead on a home run in the ninth and claimed the victory in the opener.
Riley Randolph struck out a career-high 12 batters for the Eagles.
Five defensive errors led to seven unearned runs for the Owls in the second game. After swapping runs in the first, FAU scored its second run in the third before a five-run fourth broke the game open.
FGCU also added runs in the fifth and seventh innings.
The Eagles have the weekend off before making a trip to Miami to face Florida International in a doubleheader Wednesday. It’s the start of 10 straight road games through the end of April for FGCU.