Eagles take 2 of 3 vs. Lynn in battle for postseason

The strong pitching that helped produce wins for the Florida Gulf Coast University baseball team in its first two games against Lynn University last weekend disappeared in game three.

The Eagles saw their six-game win streak snapped with a 14-7 setback in the second game of a doubleheader at Swanson Stadium on Sunday.

FGCU won game one, 9-1, and also captured Saturday night's series opener, 6-3.

"Obviously, it's good we took two out of three," said FGCU first baseman Ian Manson. "But we didn't accomplish what we wanted to. We wanted to sweep and go into our next road trip with a lot of positive energy."

FGCU, ranked No. 3 in the South Region, and No. 5 Lynn (32-19) are battling for spots in the NCAA Division II regional tournament that starts May 18. The top six teams in the region qualify.

"All our games from here on out are big," said Lynn coach Rudy Garbalosa. "This will set us back a little bit."

"A sweep would have almost sealed it," said Eagles coach Dave Tollett. "Now, we've got some work to do on Tuesday and Wednesday in Tuscaloosa."

The Eagles (34-11) will play their next seven games on the road — including a pair of doubleheaders this week at Stillman — before wrapping-up the regular season May 12-13 against Rollins at Swanson.

FGCU's hopes of a sweep against Lynn were dashed in the fourth inning. Tied 3-3, FGCU relief pitchers walked-in four runs with the bases loaded in a 10-run inning.

Starter Jason Kiley (6-3), who was coming off a three-hitter against Paine College in an 8-4 win on April 22, took the loss.

"We played well enough offensively with seven runs in a seven-inning game," said Tollett, "but we didn't pitch very well."

Photo by KEVIN JOHNSON, Banner

Lynn's Alberto Destrade scores ahead of the tag by FGCU catcher Graig Smith in a 10-run fourth-inning for the Fighting Knights, who salvaged a doubleheader split with a 14-7 win at Swanson Stadium on Sunday.

Which was a stark contrast to the first two games.

Justin Stiver fanned six and gave up just three singles in seven and one-third innings on Saturday. Chris Hassen (6-1) picked up the win in relief.

After blowing a 3-0 lead, FGCU scored three unearned runs in the eighth.

Ryan Williams and Troy Beall combined on a six-hitter in Sunday's first game.

The Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three innings, highlighted by a two-run homer from Jason Louswma — his team-leading ninth of the season — and a two-run triple by Casey Coleman, who went 3-for-4.

Coleman finished the series 7-for-11 with four RBI. Shortstop Pat Garrido had five hits in the series and has 14 hits in his last 25 at-bats.

The series began on a testy note Saturday when Manson collided with Ricky Gerena on a play at first base. Gerena remained on the ground for five minutes and did not return. By the end of the series, 11 players had been plunked by pitches, including seven in game three.

Tollett, whose team is beginning to get some key players back from injuries, doesn't need more on the sidelines during final two weeks of the regular season.

"I'd like to see us all healthy," said Tollett. "When we're healthy, we can play with anybody in the country."

FGCU players wrapped up their spring semester last week.

"It's just baseball now. That's the good part," said Manson.