It was a special night in Miami as the FGCU baseball team played one of their best games of the year, taking down the fifth-ranked Hurricanes, 7-3. The Eagles improve to 32-20 on the season while Miami falls to 37-15.
It is the sixth win against the Hurricanes in program history and first since 2018. It is also the first win over a ranked opponent this season and first since beating #17 Florida State to end the 2021 regular season.
"It was a great win, especially this late in the season against a top-five team in the country," said head coach Dave Tollett. "I thought we got a decent start from [Mason] Miller and then we turned it over Tyler [Tipton]. Tippy was really special tonight with five strikeouts and then we got a couple of big hits. Going to be a nice bus ride home."
Junior Tyler Tipton (Tampa, Fla./Gaither HS/South Florida State) picked up the win by throwing the final 5.1 innings while allowing just one run and striking out five. Sophomore Mason Miller (Odessa, Fla./Mitchell HS) started the game on the bump, pitching 3.2 innings while allowing two runs and striking out a pair.
Junior Alejandro Figueredo (Sucre, Venezuela/West Oaks HS/Seminole State) went 4-for-5 at the plate with a home run. Freshman Harrison Povey (Indian Rocks Beach, Fla./Largo HS) added three hits and an RBI while redshirt-junior Brian Ellis (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) and junior Joe Kinker (North Port, Fla./Venice HS) each added solo home runs.
Ellis' home run led off the game to give the Eagles an early lead. It was his fifth of the season, but first since March 30, which also came against the Hurricanes in Fort Myers. The long ball also extended his on-base streak to 63 consecutive games, just two shy of Zach Maxfield's FGCU record.
Miami had an answer in the bottom of the first as they tied the game at one. The Eagles retook the lead in the third on an RBI single by junior Alejandro Rodriguez (Cidra, Puerto Rico/Montverde Academy/Eastern Florida State), but once again, the Hurricanes answered in the home half to even the score.
Tipton gave up a run in the fifth to allow the Hurricanes to take the lead, but that was all he would give up on the night, finishing the evening with four scoreless innings.
Still down 3-2 entering the eighth and needing to do something before facing potential All-American closer Andrew Walters, Figueredo tied up the ballgame with a solo shot to lead off the inning. After a walk and a botched fielder's choice, Povey gave the Eagles the lead with a ringing double in the gap. The Eagles added two more runs in the inning on a balk and a sacrifice fly from graduate student Bobby Head (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange HS/Austin Peay) to take a 6-3 lead.
In the ninth, Kinker added some insurance as he hit a 421-foot bomb to left for his team-leading 18th home run of the season.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Hurricanes got two runners on, but Tipton did not let it get any closer, striking out the final batter to end the game.
The Eagles will wrap up the regular season this weekend as they head to North Florida to take on the Ospreys. First pitch from Jacksonville for game one on Thursday is set for 6 p.m.
For complete coverage of FGCU baseball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_Baseball and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU baseball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
COACH TOLLETT
FGCU coach Dave Tollett currently owns a 668-405-3 overall record (.623) and a 224-127 (.641) record in the ASUN. He is the only head coach in the program's history and led the program to its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. He is a five-time ASUN Coach of the Year and has guided the Green and Blue to five ASUN Regular Season Championships and one ASUN Tournament Championship. His team has been ranked nationally on several occasions, including as high as No. 9 in the country in 2017, and has coached 58 all-conference selections, 33 draft picks, three current major leaguers, 13 current minor leaguers, four ASUN Pitchers of the Year, four All-Americans, three ASUN Players of the Year, one National Freshman Player of the Year, one National Player of the Year and one seven-time MLB All-Star.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
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