Florida Gulf Coast University outlasted a late ninth-inning rally by Florida International University to secure a 9-8 victory on May 6 at FIU Baseball Stadium in Miami. The win marked FGCU’s (30-17) achievement as the first Atlantic Sun Conference team to reach 30 wins this season.
This milestone is significant for head coach Dave Tollett, who has now led his team to at least 30 wins in 17 of his 24 seasons. The Eagles also extended their winning streak over FIU to six games, matching their longest stretch against the Panthers in series history.
Evan Dempsey and Ryan Rushing played pivotal roles in the game. Dempsey contributed three runs, two hits, and two RBIs, including a home run and two stolen bases that moved him into fifth place all-time for career stolen bases at FGCU with 37. Rushing earned his second win of the season after striking out a career-high five batters over three innings, tying his longest outing.
Jeremy Comer added three runs and hit a home run among his two hits. Nathan Gagnon tallied two hits—including a solo homer—and drove in one run. Elliot Cadieux Lanoue and Hyatt Richardson each pitched one scoreless inning, while Sebastian Lippman closed out the game despite giving up three earned runs on two hits during his inning of work.
For FIU, Samuel Fischer recorded four RBIs with two hits and scored twice—including a home run—while Andrew Ildefonso matched those numbers with three RBIs and two runs scored off another homer. Mason Koczwara provided relief pitching for FIU by striking out three batters without allowing any runs.
The Eagles will return home to Swanson Stadium in Fort Myers for a three-game ASUN series against West Georgia beginning Friday evening.
