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TAMPA — Its shelled ace in the dugout, its batters iced by Chris Snow and trailing 4-1 against flexing Lynn University in the sixth inning, it would be an understatement to say Thursday’s prospects looked bleak for Florida Gulf Coast University’s first-ever NCAA Division II Tournament matchup.

But bolstered by freshman reliever Richard Bleier’s cool stoppage of what looked like a Fighting Knights batting practice, FGCU exploded for five bottom-of-the-sixth runs en route to a dramatic 7-5 slugfest win in front of 118 at the University of Tampa on a boiling-hot, blustery day.

Thus the second-seeded Eagles, who outhit Lynn 12-11, put their official stamp on the South Region.

“I’m just happy that our kids fought back and didn’t quit,” said a relieved and beaming FGCU coach Dave Tollett. “And we haven’t quit all year. This is just a trademark of how they play.”

Tonight at 7, FGCU (40-15) plays No. 3-seeded Catawba, which defeated No. 4 Florida Southern, 9-8, in Thursday night’s late game. As usual, Tollett wouldn’t tip his hand on FGCU’s starter, but insisted it won’t be loose-shouldered junior flamethrower Chris Hassen.

Bleier (2-1) earned the win. Freshman Casey Coleman notched his school-record sixth save. Snow (2-5) took the loss.

Trailing fifth-seeded Lynn (33-22), 3-0, because of Jimmy Lam’s booming two-run homer high off the mesh over the right-field wall in the third inning and Tommy Tickenoff’s RBI single five batters later, Tollett pulled starter Justin Stiver with one out in the fourth, by which time he had given up five hits and five walks with all runs earned.

“Justin, most of the time he’s been our Friday-night guy,” Tollett said. “I guess everybody can have a bad day.”

Bleier took over from there, surrendering just two earned runs, the first on a Tickenoff RBI single in the fifth for a 4-0 Lynn lead. He would go on to hold the Fighting Knights to five hits in five strong innings, lasting until the ninth when Coleman would take over.

“We’ve thrown (Bleier) to the wolves all year long, and I tell you what, he pitched his butt off,” Tollett said.

“We’re in a long tournament, so he was in there until the ninth. He did a great job.”

Meanwhile, FGCU’s dangerous batters went to work, picking up a run in the bottom of the fifth for 4-1 on Graig Smith’s chopping single down the third-base line that scored Coleman, who had reached on an error.

There was no panic from the Eagles, who felt they would jump on Snow at some point, just as they did in a regular-season win three weeks ago.

“I thought we would eventually get to him,” Tollett said. “I thought if we could hold them there, we’d have a chance.”

In the sixth, FGCU turned this around. Ian Manson cracked a one-out single to right field and Shawn Griffin followed with a double to center. Geoff Rottmayer’s grounder to third allowed Jimmy Bacon to snag Manson, who had drifted too far, for the second out.

Coleman, though, scorched a single to right, scoring Griffin, and Patrick Garrido’s liner to center brought in Rottmayer to make it 4-3.

At that point, Smith got what he was looking for, and Snow melted.

“I knew if I got one up, I was going to swing at it and I did,” Smith said. “Luckily, it found the hole. As soon as I hit it, I knew I hit it well. I saw it going and I thought, ‘C’mon, get over the fence — do something!’¤”

By the time center fielder Nicolas Boisvert dug the ball from the warning track, Coleman and Garrido had given FGCU a 5-4 lead. Josh Upchurch’s single — off reliever Bobby Nunn — between first and second scored Smith for 6-4.

Lynn picked up a run in the seventh. FGCU added another in the eighth when Mike Cleghorn’s single up the middle scored Garrido, who also had singled.

Coleman finished the Fighting Knights in the ninth, giving up just one hit to the meat of their lineup.

His players around him, Tollett talked of the critical nature of the comeback, especially for a young (three freshmen and three sophomores start) team in its first postseason game.

“I think it’s very important,” Tollett said. “Being down and coming back, I would hope momentum stays with us. And that’s the biggest game we’ve ever played. For us to do that, I think it says a lot about these kids.

“I’m very, very, very proud of ’em.”

Linescore:

Lynn: 003 - 010 - 100 — 5

FGCU: 000 - 015 - 01x — 7

FGCU — Stiver, Bleier (4), Coleman (9) and Smith. LU — Snow, Nunn (6), Miller (6), Sheets (8) and Tickenoff. 2B — Griffin, Smith (FGCU); Lam, Bacon, Martinez (Lynn). HR — Lam (Lynn).